Cabinet okays B5bn budget for 16 more provinces

The cabinet yesterday approved a budget of five billion baht to assist households affected by flooding in 16 additional provinces, with similar payouts made to those previously impacted by floods.
Speaking after yesterday’s cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said that all flood-hit households in the 16 provinces, including several in the South, will receive a single payment of 9,000 baht each, like those in 57 provinces previously affected by flooding. Ms Paetongtarn said that the Interior Ministry, which proposed the financial aid, would speed up the disbursement to those affected.
The cabinet previously approved a change in the criteria for flood compensation payouts. All eligible households are to receive a single payment of 9,000 baht each.
Under the old criteria, households flooded for 30 days or less received 5,000 baht, while those inundated for more than 30 days but less than 60 received 7,000 baht. Households flooded for more than 60 days were previously the only ones given 9,000 baht.
Ms Paetongtarn added that the cabinet also approved an increase in flood relief budgets for six provinces in the South — Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat — from 20 million baht to 50 million baht each.
Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said yesterday that several telecommunication transmission poles had fallen due to heavy flooding in the South, disrupting transmission signals in several areas.
He said he has instructed the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission and network service providers to find ways to ensure local residents can use their mobile phones and other electronic devices to communicate with others.
Phatsakorn Bunyalak, director-general of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, said yesterday that from Nov 23 to Dec 3, flooding triggered by days of heavy rain was reported in 10 southern provinces — Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Some 3,729 communities in 87 districts were inundated, affecting 664,173 households. Twenty-five people have been confirmed dead, he said.