Floodways to be developed in Thai South for long-term inundation solution

BANGKOK, January 31 (TNA) - As the flooding situation in the Thai South has been returning to normal, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has ordered an integrated long-term solution to repeated inundations in the southern region, including the development of floodways. Interior Minister General Anupong Paojinda told journalists of the prime minister's order prior to the Cabinet's weekly meeting at Bangkok's Government House on Tuesday. General Anupong said information from the Ministries of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Natural Resources and Environment and Interior will be initially used for the development of floodways in the Thai South, as instructed by the prime minister. General Anupong revealed that the development of the southern floodways has been started and the expropriation of private plots of land in targeted areas may be needed. The minister stressed that a long term solution to repeated inundations in the Thai South is immediately needed through legal principles. The interior minister acknowledged, meanwhile, that his ministry is in charge of repairing more than 11,000 damaged houses for southern flood victims, more than 1,000 of which have already been completed. Noting that about 300 houses have been totally destroyed by recent floods in the Thai South, the minister stated that his ministry is seeking cooperation from concerned agencies to help repair more houses this week in about 6,000 flood-affected villages. (TNA)