ONWR notifies Mekong neighbours of potential flash flooding

As Thailand braces for severe weather and potential flash floods, the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) has issued an urgent communication to the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) and neighbouring nations in the Lower Mekong River Basin, including China. The ONWR urges careful management of water level discharges in the region to prevent damaging floods.

Yesterday, Surasri Kidtimonton, the ONWR’s Secretary-General and Deputy Director of the National Water Command Centre (NWCC), reported that constant heavy rains in the lower basin have already spawned flash floods in the Bolikhamxay province of Laos.

The severe weather stems from a low-pressure trough spanning southern China and northern Vietnam, dumping copious rainfall across the north and northeast of Thailand. Thus, a surge…