With so much focus on the floodwaters advancing on central Bangkok, many may have forgotten that nearly all of central Thailand upriver from the capital has been under water since August.
Buddhist organization the Maya Gotami Foundation set out yesterday Nov. 2 to deliver relief packages to one of these areas, the Phak Hai district in Ayutthaya province.
The landscape looked more like an ocean on the road to Phak Hai with floodwaters covering as far as the eye could see. Waterbirds like herons, egrets, and ibises looked to be enjoying the floodwater and the extra fish it brought – they were everywhere, flying in circles overhead and nesting in groups in flooded trees. The journey that would normally take two hours maximum from Bangkok lasted five, as the direct road was impassible from floods.
After the trucks arrived as close as the could to the village relief bags were moved to tractor-like vehicles which traveled on raised concrete paths through the flooded fields to the village. Some central parts of the village were dry, elsewhere waters ranged from one foot to a meter deep.
Residents in Phak Hai said that they hadn’t gotten any help from the government since floods hit in August. The only deliveries of food and water they’ve gotten has been from private organizations like Maya Gotami that were contacted by low level local officials. Maya Gotami volunteers first delivered bags to each of the monks in the temple, then an announcement was made through the temple’s loudspeaker that relief bags would be handed out in the dry spot in the center of town.
Local residents waited patiently for their name to be called – a list had been drawn up by the local official – and then walked up to receive their bags, each giving a wai in thanks.
One very old, almost bald woman paddled to the handout area and called out for someone to bring her a bag. Another local resident did, then she turned around and paddled home alone through the flooded village.
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:null,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”alt”:””}}]]
Photos: Coconuts Bangkok
