THAI GOV'T MOBILISES EMERGENCY FUND TO AID SOUTHERN FLOOD VICTIMS

By Kenny Teng Khoon Hock

BANGKOK, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- The Thai government has directed the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) to submit emergency budgets for approval to expedite relief efforts in the flood-affected provinces in southern Thailand.

The department is also required to submit further proposals to the Cabinet to address specific needs in each affected area, deputy government spokesperson Sasikan Wattanachan said in a statement Saturday.

She said this would be in addition to the emergency budget allocation approved by the Comptroller General’s Department on Friday for six provinces – Songkhla, Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Surat Thani, and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

"The emergency budget for each province has been raised from 50 million baht to 70 million baht to alleviate the hardship faced by affected citizens," she said, adding that the additional funds aim to enable swift and effective relief efforts.

As of 6 am Saturday, eight provinces – Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat – have been severely affected by the floods, impacting a total of 553,921 households.

Sasikan said the DDPM’s Zone 12 Songkhla Centre, in collaboration with provincial disaster offices, has deployed operational teams and various types of disaster relief equipment, including flood relief vehicles, boats, mobile kitchens and water trucks to support rescue and relief efforts to those affected.

"A total of 486 units have been mobilised to assist residents in the affected areas, with teams prioritising aid delivery to Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces," she said.

She also noted that eight severely affected provinces have officially been declared disaster zones and designated as emergency assistance areas.

They are Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Pattani, Phatthalung, Yala, Songkhla, Trang and Chumphon, covering 51 districts, 346 sub-districts and 2,163 villages or communities.

-- BERNAMA