Phuket residents still reeling from Sunday's major flooding are being warned that more heavy rain and possible flooding is forecast over the next five days.
Most areas on the holiday island were again dry on Monday after Sunday's flood chaos, but deputy governor Pichet Panapong warned residents not to lower their guard. More flooding is a possibility in the coming days.
His concern arose from a warning that rain was expected to continue in the region until Friday as tropical storm Nesat approaches mainland Southeast Asia, with landfall expected in Vietnam.
Heavy rain was expected in the southern region, with rough seas along the Andaman coast, until Friday, the Meteorological Department warned on Monday.
"People should stay vigilant until the warning period of the Meteorological Department passes," the deputy governor said.
Phuket mobilised work crews and volunteers to clean up and repair flood damage on Monday after downtown and other areas were left awash after torrential rain that began early Sunday morning.
People woke on Sunday to be greeted with widespread flooding and roads closed by landslips.
Thalang district had the heaviest rainfall in the country that night with 204 millimetres, almost three times the average of 88mm on the island, according to the Water Management Department.
"I've never seen the rain like that in all my life," said Thammanoon Bumrungpetch, chief of the provincial irrigation office, said at media briefing on Monday. "The heavy flooding was due to the heavy rain."
Mr Thammanoon said he was worried about the possibly more rain on the island from the appoaching tropical storm. All reservoirs on the island were already at full capacity.
The island has three reservoirs - Bang Niew Dum, Bang Wad and Klong Katha - that provide running water.
Despite the approaching storm warning, the irrigation office cannot release water from the three reservoirs as it has to keep them full to ensure the island has enough tap water to last through the dry season.
"The dry season is on the horizon. It normally comes in November," the provincial irrigation chief said.
Phuket does not want a repeat of 2019 and 2020, when people were ordered to save tap water because all three reservoirs were at risk of drying up, he said
"One good thing about Phuket is that water comes quickly and goes away quickly," he said.
