Mekong river rising after heavy rain
The water level in the Mekong river, bordering this northeastern border province with Laos, is rising following heavy rain in the region over the past few days.
On Tuesday morning, the level was up by more than 1 metre from Monday, to 5m deep. However, it was still about 8m below the citical level of 13m.
The provincial authority has issued a warning for people living along the Mekong river and its tributaries to be alert for flash floods, even though the Mekong can still take up much more water.
With more rain forecast, irrigation officials at Nong Han Lake have begun releasing water into the 120-kilometre-long Nam Kan stream, which runs into the Mekong river.
However, with the weather this year highly variable, the volume of water released is being assessed on a daily basis to make sure that sufficient remains for household and agricultural use should there be another long period without rain.
PATTANAPONG SRIPIACHAI
