CHIANG RAI, Thailand – Chiang Rai has been devastated by continuous flooding, affecting 10 districts, 29 sub-districts, and 192 villages, leaving over 7,500 households struggling. The floods have already claimed two lives. The situation is dire, as border areas between Mae Sai, Thailand, and Tachileik, Myanmar, are experiencing their fifth round of flooding. Meanwhile, local vendors are trying to clean up mud from previous floods. Landslides have also buried shops at the Golden Triangle and caused road collapses, particularly around the Phu Chi Fa route, making it impassable.
As of August 22, reports indicate that Chiang Rai province has been facing relentless rainfall for the second consecutive week, leading to widespread flooding, landslides, and damage to homes, roads, and bridges. Some areas that had previously dried out have been repeatedly submerged. Along the border, particularly in riverside communities along the Sai River, water levels have risen yet again, causing the fifth round of flooding. The situation worsened just as the Tachileik market in Myanmar was being cleaned up after the previous flood, only to be inundated again, along with the Sai Lom Joy market in Mae Sai district, Thailand. However, the border checkpoint and higher elevated areas remain unaffected.
In addition to the floods, landslides were reported in Chiang Saen district at the Golden Triangle area in Sop Ruak village, where several shops located at the base of Phra That Doi Pha Ko were damaged. Continuous rain weakened the soil, causing the landslides to bury the rooftops of the shops.
Meanwhile, a Facebook user named “May May” shared photos of Route 1155 in Thoeng district, where a road connecting Phayapiphak village in Khun Tan district had collapsed. The landslide made it impossible to travel through the area, which serves as a critical junction connecting the villages of Phayapiphak to Phu Chi Fa. However, other routes remain passable.
According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), from August 16 to 21, the floods have affected 10 districts in Chiang Rai, impacting 7,591 households, with 12,828 rai of farmland submerged, along with 68 fish and shrimp ponds.
Although official reports have yet to confirm fatalities, local sources reveal that two lives have been lost. One victim, a 77-year-old man, drowned while fishing in Pong Noi village in Doi Luang district on August 19. The second victim, a 39-year-old woman from Tab Tao subdistrict in Thoeng district, was found dead on August 19 after going missing on August 17. She was discovered drowned in the Ngaw River near Ban Sai Kad village.
