Northern Thai residents face long battle to clear mud, waste from floods

Residents of northern Thailand are slogging through mud, debris and waste to clear their homes and properties after floods devastated the region over a month ago.

The impact is particularly severe in three communities in Mae Sai district – Koh Sai, Tham Pha Chom and Sailom Joy Market – where flooding from a Sept. 10 storm left behind two meters of mud. Cleanup efforts could take several months.

One man said his family was lucky to survive.

“The water came so fast. I was clearing branches from the stream in front of my house when I heard a roar behind me,” Yuda Jajo, a resident of Huai Sai Khao village, told BenarNews. “When I saw the mudslide rushing down from the valley, I had to jump onto higher ground and shout for my wife to leave the house.” 

“We were lucky our eldest child was at the dormitory, or we might have lost them.”

Mae Sai is dealing with more than 18,000 tons of flood-generated waste, according to Surin Worakijthamrong, deputy director-general of Thailand’s Pollution Control Department.

“Despite deploying 1,000 volunteers, the town’s recovery could take up to six months,” Surin told BenarNews.

Thailand ranked ninth globally by the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index among nations most at risk from the effects of climate change. Areas once considered safe from flooding are becoming danger zones.

“We try our best to preserve the forests and environment,” Yuda said, “but events like this show us that climate change is a reality we face every day.”