AYUTTHAYA, 28 January 2013 A 300-meter long section of the Pasak riverbank in Ayutthaya province has collapsed, prompting mass evacuation by nearby residents.
Head of the Ayutthaya Provincial Administrative Organization Somsong Pancharoenworakul said after an inspection that the collapse of the Pasak riverbank could have been caused by a rapid drop in water level and the heavy use of the river by commercial barges. Residents living along the riverbank in Nakhon Luang district have been fleeing their homes, in fear of further erosion.
Several instances of riverbank erosion occurred late last year, with a number of houses collapsing into the river. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has been looking into building more dykes in Ayutthaya province to solve the erosion problem.
