Mitigating flood misery

This week, the general public breathed a sigh of relief after the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) expressed confidence that there is no risk of future rounds of flooding reaching 2011 levels. That epic event has gone down as perhaps the worst floods the nation has faced in modern times.

- 

But for communities that live in designated flood catchment sites in the Lower Central region, all flood seasons are equally miserable.

Low-terrain floods, mostly located in Ayutthaya and some districts in Suphan Buri, have been designated by the government as "flood retention areas". Flood water from the Upper and Central regions will be diverted and stored before heading to the sea or separated reservoirs.

It is common for the ground floors of people's homes in these areas to be engulfed by water, forcing them to commute by boat. Residents are often evacuated to live in makeshift tents at community centres or by roadsides in the event of flash floods.