CHIANG RAI– Army engineers have started demolishing illegal buildings along the Mae Sai River. The most recent work focused on knocking down nine two-storey townhouses behind the Saim Lom Joy market. Clearing this area will make way for a new flood protection wall. At the same time, work to dredge the Ruak River has passed the halfway point.
Engineering teams, local officials, and heavy machinery arrived to remove the unauthorized row of townhouses. These buildings sat just metres from the Thai-Myanmar border, right next to the Sai River in Mae Sai district.
The demolition helps create space for a three-metre-high flood wall, which will run from Hua Fai village to the First Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge. As of 10 June, the flood wall is about 57 percent complete.
Dredging of the Sai and Ruak Rivers is also underway. Thailand is responsible for clearing 32 kilometres of the Ruak. The Third Army Region is working on the first 14 kilometres, while the Army Engineers are taking care of the remaining 18 kilometres. By 10 June, 55 percent of the overall dredging work was finished.
The Army Engineers have also recommended that Chiang Rai province and Mae Sai district organize emergency response drills. These include plans for sealing off breaches in the flood wall, checking drainage systems, and setting up pumps in flood-prone areas.
They’ve also suggested plans for managing volunteers during crises to help keep things organized. Local authorities have received the proposal and are expected to act on it soon.
The Royal Thai Army’s engineering unit has been actively working on flood prevention measures along the Sai River after massive flooding in 20024. The project involves constructing a 3-kilometre flood barrier wall from the Hua Fai community to the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, with completion targeted for the end of June 2025.
The barrier includes permanent concrete walls and temporary defences like raised earthen banks and steel sheets welded across riverside structures to block water.
Army engineers have been working around the clock, with oversight from General Phana Klaewplodthuk and other military leaders. Additionally, joint dredging efforts with Myanmar on the Sai and Ruak rivers aim to improve water flow and reduce flood risk, though challenges persist due to Myanmar’s delays and upstream mining activities.
