CHIANG MAI - Mae Klang waterfall shut on flood fears

[dirtydog]

CHIANG MAI
Mae Klang waterfall shut on flood fears


Chiang Mai _ The popular Mae Klang waterfall in Chom Thong district has been temporarily closed to tourists due to concerns over possible mountain run-off following heavy downpours in the region. The water level in the Mae Klang river has surged over recent days, flooding low-lying farmland in tambon Sop Tia and prompting the authorities to limit access to the waterfall.

Authorities said the temporary closure was a precautionary measure to avoid a tragedy similar to the one in Trang during the Songkran holiday last month where 38 tourists were killed in flash floods at Sairoong and Phrai Sawan waterfalls in Kao Banthad wildlife sanctuary park.

Nearby residents have been placed on high alert for flash floods and have moved their belongings to higher ground.

A local weather bureau said torrential rains are due to hit areas across more than half of the North in the coming days.

In other areas, M.L. Anumas Thongtham, director of Regional Irrigation Office 12 at the Chai Nat Dam, has warned residents along the Chao Phraya river from Chai Nat to Ayutthaya that the river could burst its banks in the coming days. He said authorities are set to drain water from the dam due to a rapid rise in water levels following continued heavy rain.

He said the release of water might affect people downstream, especially fish farmers raising stock in the river.
Fish farmers in Ang Thong and Ayutthaya are still reeling from tens of millions of baht in losses when fish farms in a 20-kilometre stretch of the Chao Phraya river were wiped out by pollution in March.

Bangkok Post

[sabang]

Must be a first in history for a waterfall to flood.