Songkhla is on heightened flood alert as unusually high rainfall in neighbouring Malaysia could cause widespread damage in the province, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has warned.
Ms Yingluck said Songkhla, where eight districts have already been declared disaster zones, could bear the brunt of further flooding from rainfall in Malaysia which is said to be 40% higher than the seasonal norm.
Floodwater is expected to pour into the province, putting areas, particularly Sadao district which borders Malaysia but is not among the districts declared disaster zones, at risk of severe flooding.
The eight districts which have already been affected by floods are Saba Yoi, Khuan Niang, Chana, Rattaphum, Singha Nakhon, Ranot, Sathing Phra and Muang.
Ms Yingluck said the entire province is now on heightened flood watch due to fears of possible run-off from Malaysia.
She has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Pol Gen Kowit Wattana and Deputy Public Health Minister Torpong Chaiyasarn to handle possible relief efforts.
Seh Hemkul, head of the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, said floodwater was spreading in Songkhla.
Large residential areas in Muang district were affected.
The southern floods have been exacerbated due to storms generated by the northeastern monsoon.
Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Narathiwat provinces have all experienced torrential rain and heavy flooding over the past several days.
So far, three flood-related deaths in the region have been reported _ two in Yala and one in Phatthalung.
In Yala, where five districts are listed as disaster zones, the body of Mayating Salamae, 70, was pulled from floodwater in Muang district on Wednesday.
In Nong Chik district, the body of Abdullahsi Tuanhayi, 18, was recovered on Thursday.
The five flooded districts are Muang, Raman, Bannang Sata, Yaha and Than To.
The floods have also displaced 930 people and affected more than 23,000 others.
Meanwhile, Apinant Suethanuwong, Yala deputy governor, said the amount of rainfall in the province has decreased.
In Phatthalung, 147 families yesterday moved their livestock to higher grounds to escape fast-surging floodwater in tambon Thalay Noi of Khuan Khanun district.
The families live around the Thalay Noi lake which is overflowing because of run-off from the Tha Nae reservoir in nearby Si Banphot district.
Mudslide warnings remained in effect for Kong Ra, Pa Bon, Tamot, Si Banphot and Si Nakharin districts, which are threatened with water run-off from the Bantad mountain range.
In Pak Phayun district, Thip Boonto, 53, drowned after he fell from a bridge into deep floodwater while walking home in tambon Falamee yesterday.
In Narathiwat, 13 districts have been declared disaster zones, with floods affecting more than 40,000 people and damaging more than 1,200 rai of farmland.
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