Historic Deluge in Hat Yai Sparks Outcry, Residents Demand Mayor Ousted

A sudden deluge in the heart of Hat Yai has ignited fierce demands for political accountability as neighbourhoods reel from the worst flooding in decades. Citizens who once trusted local leadership now question whether overconfidence and communication breakdowns turned a predictable storm into a civic crisis.

A Leadership Crisis Unfolds

By the time floodwaters began to recede, Hat Yai residents had unleashed a torrent of criticism on social media platforms. Calls for Mayor Narongporn to step aside accelerated after his repeated assurances that the city’s drainage infrastructure would hold. The online community seized on every misstep, accusing him of underestimating the threat, ignoring red-flag warnings, and failing to issue a city-wide alert. Even supporters who voted him into office joined the chorus of public anger, insisting that true accountability demands a change in leadership.

The Forces Behind the Flood

Meteorologists attribute the unprecedented inundation to a so-called Rain Boom—300 millimetres of rain unleashed over six hours across central Hat Yai and surrounding districts like Na Mom. This direct strike overwhelmed the U-tapao and คลองภูมินาถดำริ, channels designed to funnel runoff into Songkhla Lake. What local authorities expected as manageable drainage became a deluge beyond design capacity, revealing glaring gaps in flood risk modelling and early warning systems.

From Early Warnings to Systemic Failures

Officials had hoisted a red flag late on Friday but limited alerts to a handful of canal-adjacent neighbourhoods. Many families stayed put, trusting municipal assurances that pumps would clear water by Saturday. When heavy rains returned that same night, messages to escalate the response never reached large swaths of the city, leaving homeowners and market vendors scrambling to protect possessions. The lack of a single command structure meant critical decisions were delayed, fuelling frustration over a fractured response.

Cost in Lives and Livelihoods

Preliminary tallies place the death toll in Hat Yai above 100, with another 55 confirmed in greater Songkhla province. Local hospitals reported surges in waterborne illnesses and trauma injuries. Entire shopfronts on Khlong U-Taphao Road were submerged, and swathes of farmland outside city limits remain underwater. Economists warn the economic fallout could reach M300 by year’s end, as tourism stalls and supply chains grind to a halt.

Accountability and Apology

Under mounting pressure, Mayor Narongporn offered a public apology on Channel 3, conceding that his team’s risk assessment was flawed. He acknowledged the flood was “beyond our capability” to manage alone and pledged cooperation with central authorities. Elected in May with informal backing from Bhumjaithai Party figures, he denies formal political ties but faces scrutiny over connections to the Klatham Party, raising questions about political influence on emergency preparedness.

Pathways to Recovery

The Royal Thai Government has invoked an emergency decree for Songkhla, dispatching a command centre overseen by the prime minister’s office and the armed forces. Compensation packages cover debt moratoriums, interest-free rebuilding loans, and a M2 million death benefit for affected families. A “Big Cleaning Day” mobilisation on November 29 aims to restore street access within seven days, while local volunteer brigades coordinate waste clearance in four zones under military guidance.

Lessons in Water Management

Hat Yai’s basin-like topography, once a scenic feature, now underscores the city’s vulnerability. Despite a 2022 expansion of the คลองภูมินาถดำริ from 24 m to 70 m width, the system could not absorb record rainfall. Experts argue that incremental upgrades must yield to a holistic water-management overhaul, incorporating upstream retention basins, real-time monitoring, and a unified chain of command for crisis response.

Expert Voices Calling for Reform

Urban planners and hydrologists stress that legislative tools under the Water Resources Act remain under-utilised. They recommend designating no-build flood corridors, enforcing strict riparian zoning, and creating community-level emergency committees trained in evacuation protocols. Without stronger political will to implement these measures, they warn, Hat Yai risks repeating history with each monsoon season.

Looking Ahead

With flood levels tapering and rain forecasts easing after November 28, residents are returning to homes and markets under the watchful gaze of military and police patrols. Interim repairs to power lines and water treatment plants are underway, but the path to long-term resilience hinges on whether this civic watershed spurs genuine reform—or if, once again, the water will rise before lessons are learnt.