Chai Nat Floods Force Evacuations, Two Dogs Killed

Chai Nat is suffering as the Chao Phraya River bursts its banks, flooding seven districts, 38 subdistricts and 168 villages. Residents have fled to the roadside, setting up tents and sleeping where they can. An elderly woman tearfully recounted how two of her dogs were hit and killed by passing cars while the family was displaced, leaving newborn puppies hungry and crying for their mother. On September 30, 2026, journalists reported that water levels in the Chao Phraya basin continue to rise due to heavy rainfall upstream of the Chao Phraya Dam, prompting authorities to increase the dam’s discharge to 2,200 cubic metres per second to accommodate inflows from the north. This has driven water levels higher, with the upstream level at 17.71 metres above mean sea level and the downstream level at 15.22 metres, leaving the river just 1.12 metres below the banks. The resulting inundation has affected a wide area: Chai Nat province reports seven districts, 38 subdistricts, 168 villages, one community, 1,581 households and 4,307 people impacted, with 68,082 rai of farmland submerged. The floodwaters have begun to overtop the banks above the dam, flooding homes and roads such as Chaiyarong Road in Mueang Chai Nat district, forcing residents to pitch tents along the highway. Police from Mueang Chai Nat Station have set up barriers and signs indicating single‑lane use, but speeding drivers have still struck the displaced dogs—two dogs killed over two days, one of them a nursing mother whose two blind puppies whimper for milk. The dog’s 53‑year‑old owner, Nang Nophorn, tearfully said she loved all her pets and had no choice but to bring them to higher ground, even though she feared accidents. She lamented that drivers showed no remorse, speeding past without stopping. While she does not wish to pursue legal action, she urges motorists to be more careful, saying the loss is already hard enough without losing beloved animals.