Thai government hit by lawsuit over flood toll
Preeyarat Nuansing, owner of Ban Chom Dao Resort in Muang Khon Kaen district. (Photo from The Nation – Thailand)
A resort owner has sued the Khon Kaen Water Management committee for its failure to prevent floods that extensively damaged her business, while a storm warning has been issued for Surat Thani and Chumphon with landfall expected today [Tuesday, Nov. 7].
Preeyarat Nuansing, owner of Ban Chom Dao Resort in Muang Khon Kaen district, filed on Monday, Nov. 6, a lawsuit at the Khon Kaen Administrative Court against the provincial water management committee, claiming that the committee had failed to adequately manage water in Ubonrat Dam, which resulted in prolonged flooding that affected her resort.
The water management committee, chaired by Khon Kaen Governor Somsak Jangtrakul, is responsible for controlling water discharges from Ubonrat Dam.Due to large volumes of incoming water during the rainy season, the dam exceeded its storage capacity, causing widespread flooding, both upstream and downstream.
Preeyarat said the flooding had already caused 1-million-baht opportunity losses for her business and 2-million-baht in flood damage to the property.
“A lot of livestock at the resort died,” Preeyarat said. “The peacocks also died. Three rai [0.5 hectares] of my cattle farm were damaged entirely. I only wonder who will be responsible for these damages.”
She added that this year was the second time that her resort and farm had been damaged by flooding, after the 2011 deluge caused damage worth 3 million baht.
After those floods, she only received 5,000 baht in compensation from authorities, she said.
“I wonder why the committee, which has the real-time water situation in hand, failed to properly manage the water in Ubonrat Dam and prevent floods. Why did they not drain the water, if they knew there would be large incoming flows at the dam?” she asked.“I want to ask the Administrative Court to help investigate this issue and let this lawsuit be a lesson for authorities.”
She also said she had already sent a petition to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Ban Chom Dao Resort has been open for six years with 25 buildings and 32 guest rooms, with nightly rates between 900 baht and 2,000 baht.
Meanwhile, the Southeastern Meteorological Centre yesterday issued a severe weather warning for the east coast of the Southern Region, as a depression over the Gulf of Thailand grew into a strong weather system with wind speeds of about 55 kilometers per hour. The storm will hit Surat Thani and Chumphon today, Tuesday, Nov. 7.
The entire Southeastern Region will face heavy downpours until Wednesday, Nov. 8, while local authorities in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, and Nakhon Si Thammarat have warned of strong winds, flash floods and landslides.
The storm will cause rough sea conditions in the Gulf of Thailand with four-metre waves, prompting the Southeastern Meteorological Centre warning, which included cautioning small boats against going to sea.
The Meteorological Centre also advised people in affected areas to closely monitor weather updates.
Although the storm had not made landfall on Monday, areas in the South were already suffering severe weather conditions.
A banana farmer in Songkhla’s Na Mom district, Sukit Wiriyaphongsukit, said half of the trees at his farm had been destroyed by strong winds. Sukit added that he would have been ready to harvest his entire crop next week.He said he had already asked authorities for help.
Water levels in the U Thapao Canal, which flows through Hat Yai city in Songkhla, have reportedly risen rapidly due to several days of heavy rains upstream. If the water levels keep rising, rubber plantations and communities along the canal could be flooded.
