The Thai border in Mae Sot district in Tak is inundated after the northern province was pounded by downpours for days, with no signs of rains easing until the end of July.
The Tha Sai Luat Municipality warned residents living near the first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge on Thursday night to be on alert due to the rising water level of the Moei River. The combination of continuous rain and rising tides triggered flooding in communities and commercial areas around 4am on Friday.
By 10am, the water level at the bridge was measured at 1.6 metres, the municipality added.
Tambon Tha Sai Luat serves as an important border trade location between Thailand and Myanmar, directly across from Myawaddy town.
The Government Public Relations Department's Tak office advised motorists with non-urgent matters to avoid travelling to the bridge. Traffic was building up in the area as people continued moving their belongings to higher ground, with assistance from about 100 soldiers and army trucks.
The office reported that the water level continued to rise, as Mae Sot has been receiving a large amount of water from the Moei, flowing from Umphang and Phob Phra districts over the past three days.
Tak is among the provinces hardest hit by downpours. The accumulated rainfall over the past 24 hours reached 159 millimetres, followed by Kanchanaburi with 123mm and Chanthaburi with 119mm.
The Meteorological Department and the Office of the National Water Resources warned that Tak would continue to be affected by rain until the end of the month, with flash flooding and landslides possible during this period.