About six hours of heavy rain caused flooding over a large area of Khon Kaen's Muang district on Monday, and in adjoining Kalasin province national park runoff from three days of rain inundated homes and farmland in Yang Talat district.
In parts of downtown Khon Kaen the water was up to a metre deep.
Torrential rain that fell on several tambons Muang district resulted in about five hours of flooding before it drained off. The flood water was 50-80 centimetres deep for over two kilometres along the Mittraphap – Ban Kok road, which is the main route for commuters.
The highest water level, one metre, was reported in front of the highways police office.
The flooding on Monday morning caused major problems for residents, including traffic jams. Many small vehicles stalled and were stranded in the water.
Theerasak Teekayuphan, mayor of Kaen Nakhon municipality, said work crews helped people in flooded areas and the water had receded by early afternoon.
On community Facebook page @mykhonkaen, several people posted images and video clips of the flooding.
In Kalasin, accumulated rain over the past three days generated runoff from Dong Ranaeng National Park that deluged farmland in Yang Talat district.
Satarasachan Phunasung, chief of Ban Tum in tambon Bua Ban, said the Lam Pao Dam road was underwater and the road surface damaged, as was the approach to the bridge.
He said the flood was runoff from an area of Dong Ranaeng park where the forest had been clearcut by encroachers, west of the village. The floodwater carried mud and sand from the hillside, infiltrating homes, covering fields and destroying shrimp ponds.
The village leaders would file a complaint with the Dhamrongdham public complaints centre in Kalasin, asking Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to end the problem of forest encroachment and reduce the threat of future damage, he said.