A man pushes bottles of clean water through the flooded areas in Chiang Rai, Thailand, Sept. 22, 2024. CHIANG RAI, Thailand — The severe and prolonged flooding that has deluged Thailand is devastating hundreds of thousands of residents and prompting calls for long-term solutions, including measures to mitigate the long-term impact of climate change. Thailand suffers from an annual monsoon season from July to October. Although floods are common nationwide, authorities say this year has been the worst in decades. Thanapon Piman, senior research fellow, SEI Asia Center, says climate change has contributed to the flooding. “Climate change and La Niña … cause heavy rainfall over the region more than normal condition. For example, the monthly rainfall in Chiang Rai in August is higher [than] normal [by] 40% to 50%. Mae Sai has faced flooding six times in a month, which never happened before,” he told VOA. A Thai man is seen clearing mud from the streets of Mae Sai, Thailand, following flooding Sept. 22, 2024. (Tommy Walker/VOA) The La Niña phenomenon is the natural cooling of the water in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. It occurs every few years and affects weather worldwide. Thanapon said authorities knew La Niña would make this season wetter than normal, but not that it would be so extreme. “This is certainly caused by climate changes.” The floods were exacerbated by Typhoon Yagi, which rampaged through Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries in mid-September. Upwards of 150,000 families have been affected by the floods in Thailand, with 46 killed, according to Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. “It triggered severe flash floods and mudslides over the north region. As the result of heavy rainfall since August, land turned into saturated soil. Thus, when the heavy rainfall from the Yagi Typhoon hit the region, […]