The national park in central Thailand, where a waterfall was devastated by flash floods this week, has closed five waterfalls as rain continues to pour down. Khao Yai National Park announced the closure in a Facebook post today.
The Haew Narok waterfall, the park’s largest, will be closed until September 30. Meanwhile, four other waterfalls will be closed until further notice. These are Nang Rong Waterfall, Sarika Waterfall, Haew Su Wat Waterfall and Takhro Waterfall.
Haew Narok has developed a reputation for the many animals found dead there after falling down the 150 metre waterfall during the rainy season in recent years.
ORIGINAL STORY
A waterfall and two national parks in central Thailand’s Nakhon Nayok province have been devastated by flash floods since yesterday. A large amount of reddish brown water poured down into Nang Rong Waterfall in Khao Yai National Park. The waterfall’s water level rose to over half a metre, submerging a bridge.
At another national park in the province, water levels rose to a level not seen in years. The water levels at Wang Takrai park in the Sarika subdistrict were between 50 centimetres and 1 metre. Surveillance footage showed the water levels going up since last night, and still raging this morning.
Floodwaters swallowed stores and houses under a bridge, and a one-kilometre stretch of Highway 3049 in front of the Community Development Learning Centre was also under water.
Nakhon Nayok’s public relations Facebook page posted photos of officials arriving at a flooded area, saying they came to rescue guests at a resort who were stuck inside.
In Thailand, floods in 28 provinces killed three people and affected 14,657 households between August 15-23, according to a report by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Two deaths were reported from Petchabun in the central part of Thailand, while information on the third death hasn’t been revealed.
As monsoon season pushes on, Thailand and Asian countries continue to bear the brunt of floods.