A typical scenario (an illustrative story, not a review from any specific customer)

A wooden shophouse on the Nan River in Chum Saeng, and an 80-year-old mother with asthma

Pensri is the only daughter still living with her 80-year-old mother in a two-storey wooden shophouse in the old market quarter of Chum Saeng district, Nakhon Sawan. Downstairs is a shop selling snacks and local souvenirs; upstairs is where they sleep. Her mother has had asthma for years and relies on an inhaler. Whenever heavy rain falls for days in a row, Pensri anxiously watches the level of the Nan River in front of the house.

In late September this year, water began spreading across the market road and then into the shop. The drains in the lane started pushing up black water, and a smell like an overflowing septic tank filled the air. Pensri and her nephew carried the glass display cabinet, sacks of flour and cardboard boxes upstairs, but they could not save everything. The wooden cupboard under the stairs and her late father's thirty-year-old wooden table had to be left standing in the water.

What worried Pensri most was not the stock, but her mother. Since the water came in, her mother coughed more every night. The upstairs air was stuffy and humid, and the smell of foul water rose through the gaps in the floorboards. Her siblings working in Bangkok urged her to move their mother to a relative's home in a dry area first and to think about the house after the water receded. The question Pensri typed into her phone that night was simple: "When the water goes down, what do I do first so my mother can sleep here safely again?"

It is the same question thousands of Nakhon Sawan households are asking this year, from market shophouses and housing estates in Mueang district to wooden homes among the rice fields of Tha Tako, Banphot Phisai and Lat Yao.

The 2026 Nakhon Sawan Flood: 14 Districts and Water Still Rising

According to the DDPM report of 2 October 2026, Nakhon Sawan had flood-affected areas in 14 districts: Phayuha Khiri, Phaisali, Tha Tako, Banphot Phisai, Lat Yao, Kao Liao, Mueang Nakhon Sawan, Chum Saeng, Takhli, Mae Wong, Tak Fa, Chum Ta Bong, Krok Phra and Nong Bua, a total of 11,928 households, with water levels rising. Nationally, the DDPM reported on the same day that flooding affected 31 provinces plus Bangkok, 1,245,581 households and about 3,535,206 people, caused by heavy to very heavy rain together with runoff from the north. All figures are updated daily, so follow provincial and local announcements closely.

Nakhon Sawan is where northern water gathers. The Ping and Nan rivers join at Pak Nam Pho to become the Chao Phraya, and Bueng Boraphet, a large freshwater lake, also lies in the province. Its broad lowlands make it a major rice-growing area, dotted with rice mills, drying yards and farm supply shops. Mueang district and the larger towns are dense with shophouses, row buildings, housing estates, dormitories and commercial buildings.

With flooding spread across 14 districts, the damage takes many forms. Homes in the open fields of Tha Tako, Banphot Phisai and Chum Saeng may face long periods of standing water. Areas like Mae Wong, Chum Ta Bong and Lat Yao, closer to higher ground in the west, may see faster runoff carrying a lot of sediment. Shophouses in town face drains backing up with sewage. As a result, the germs left inside homes vary widely, and all of them need to be dealt with.

While the Water Is Still Rising: What Nakhon Sawan Families Can Prepare

Because the latest report says water in Nakhon Sawan is still rising, planning now will make recovery faster and safer once it falls. Consider these steps.

• Photograph your home and belongings before and during the flood, to support assistance claims and damage assessments.
• Move things up high, especially mattresses, pillows, blankets, documents and electrical appliances, which are hard to save once soaked.
• Move older relatives, small children and anyone with breathing problems somewhere safe first, and do not bring them back until the house is dry and disinfected.
• Prepare protective gear: rubber boots, rubber gloves, masks, waterproof plasters, soap and clean water for the day you go back in.
• Write down key contacts: local authorities, an electrician, and the disinfection team you plan to call after the water drops, such as WHD on 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268, so you can ask about scheduling in advance.

Avoid wading unless necessary, especially with cuts on your feet or legs, and beware of electrical leaks wherever water has reached sockets or meters.

Every Kind of Contamination Floodwater Brings to Nakhon Sawan

Floodwater that has passed through rice fields, cattle pens, chicken coops, toilets, septic tanks, fresh markets and town drains carries many groups of germs at once. WHO and CDC agree: treat all floodwater as contaminated, and clean and disinfect everything it touched before using it again.

Sewage bacteria

In the shophouses and row buildings of Nakhon Sawan town and Chum Saeng, a major problem is drain water flowing back into homes. This water carries faecal bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and other food-poisoning organisms. When the water recedes, they remain on floors, table legs, display shelves and kitchen equipment. People who touch these surfaces without washing their hands can develop diarrhoea, stomach pain, vomiting and fever. Food shops and snack vendors need to be especially careful, because they sell food that other people eat.

Leptospirosis

Nakhon Sawan has both vast rice fields and large markets, both of which shelter rats. Leptospira bacteria shed in rat urine can survive in standing water and mud for a long time and enter the body through wounds or skin softened by soaking. If you develop a sudden high fever, headache, severe calf pain, red eyes or reduced urination after wading, go to hospital promptly and tell the doctor you were in floodwater.

Diarrhoeal viruses and hepatitis A

Norovirus and rotavirus spread easily through hands and surfaces, especially in evacuation centres, crowded households and homes with small children. Hepatitis A virus can also spread through food and water contaminated with faeces. Handwashing with soap, drinking clean water and eating freshly cooked food matter a great deal right now.

Mold on walls, wood and fabric

Old wooden shophouses, like those in the Chum Saeng market or the older streets of Pak Nam Pho, have floorboards, wooden walls and cupboards that soak up water readily. Once they stay damp for more than 24 to 48 hours, mold begins to appear as white, green or black spots. Concrete row buildings develop mold behind wallpaper, behind built-in cabinets and on gypsum ceilings that wicked water upward. Airborne spores are a major trigger for asthma and allergies, which is why someone like Pensri's mother is at high risk if she returns too soon.

Skin and eye infections

Long exposure to water causes skin maceration on the feet, which can then become infected by fungi or bacteria. Conjunctivitis also tends to spread during floods, as dirty water splashes into eyes and people share towels. Swollen, red or pus-filled wounds, or very red eyes, need a doctor.

Foul water and musty odours

The smell Nakhon Sawan residents know after a flood is rotting mud mixed with drain odour, plus the mustiness of damp wood. These smells come from compounds released by bacteria and mold as they break down organic matter: mud, wet paddy, food scraps and paper. The smell tells you recovery is not finished.

Who is most at risk

Older adults, young children, pregnant women, people with asthma, allergies, chronic lung disease, diabetes or kidney disease, and anyone with weakened immunity should be the last to move back in, after the house has been dried and disinfected.

The Knock-On Effects of the Nakhon Sawan Flood

Household health. If germs and musty odour linger, people with chronic conditions are hit first. Asthma patients may need more hospital visits, children may get repeat diarrhoea, and caregivers become exhausted.

Shop and business income. Nakhon Sawan is a trading city and a stopover for travellers heading north and south. Restaurants, snack shops, souvenir stores and market traders need to reopen as quickly as possible, but if a shop still smells of foul water, customers will not stop. Confidence in cleanliness is tied directly to income.

Escalating costs. If recovery happens in the wrong order, mold spreads into furniture and walls that looked fine at first, forcing more replacements, ceiling removal, new wallpaper or repeated repainting.

Time and livelihoods. Farmers in Tha Tako, Phaisali and Banphot Phisai need to get back to their paddies, and workers in town need to return to their jobs. Every day spent scrubbing mold again is a day lost from earning a living.

How the family feels. Coming back to a home full of memories, like a father's old table or a shophouse that fed a family for a lifetime, only to find it still smells of the flood, weighs heavily on everyone.

Why the Smell and Germs Stay Even After Cleaning

Pressure washing and stopping there. Pressure washing removes mud, but without drying afterwards, water forced into wood grain and tile joints becomes moisture that feeds mold.

Pouring bleach everywhere. Bleach disinfects smooth surfaces but cannot reach into wood, behind cabinets or above ceilings. Chlorine fumes irritate the airways of asthma patients, and bleach must never be mixed with acidic or ammonia-based bathroom cleaners.

Incense, scented candles or sprays. They mask the smell for a few hours, but the cause remains, and some smoke and fragrances can trigger asthma too.

Shutting the house to let it dry by itself. A closed house traps moisture inside and mold grows faster. You need ventilation and active drying.

Repainting or re-wallpapering straight away. This seals the problem in. Within weeks the surface bubbles and mold returns.

Ozone Disinfection in Nakhon Sawan, After Cleaning and Drying

World Health Disinfection (WHD) provides residential and building ozone disinfection for homes, condos, dormitories, shops, offices, factories, schools and hospitals. WHD's office is in Bang Khae, Bangkok 10160, and it has no branch in Nakhon Sawan. Homeowners and business owners in any district of Nakhon Sawan can contact the team to plan a service; travel and coverage are confirmed by phone on 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268.

How ozone works

Ozone (O3) is a strongly oxidising gas. Released into a sealed room, it spreads into every corner, breaking down the structures of viruses, bacteria and mold and breaking apart odour molecules. It then reverts to oxygen (O2), leaving no chemical residue. According to test results certified for the company by Thailand's Department of Medical Sciences and Intertek (UK), the system eliminates viruses, bacteria and mold by 99.99%. Details of the equipment are on the ozone disinfection machine page.

How the work is done

1. Talk and assess by phone or LINE. Send photos and share the floor area, number of storeys and post-flood condition.
2. The owner prepares the space. Remove mud, wash, dry, and take out food, medicine and badly damaged items.
3. Divide into zones, for example the ground-floor shop, the storeroom and the upstairs bedrooms.
4. Seal and treat. Everyone, including pets and plants, leaves. Doors and windows are closed and the generator runs, typically about 30 minutes per zone.
5. Rest and ventilate. Wait for ozone to revert to oxygen, then re-enter when the team says it is safe.

Safety essentials: ozone is applied only in a closed space with nobody inside. People, pets and plants must all leave, and may return only after the rest and ventilation period. Ozone comes after mud removal, washing and drying; it does not replace cleaning and it is not a medical treatment. Anyone with fever, calf pain, diarrhoea, a heavy cough or breathlessness after the flood must see a doctor.

10 Reasons Nakhon Sawan Residents Choose Ozone as the Final Recovery Step

1. Shophouses are full of hidden corners: under stairs, behind cabinets, above ceilings. Ozone gas reaches places that are hard to wipe.
2. It tackles backed-up drain odour, breaking down lingering sewage smell molecules once the source has been washed away.
3. Gentle on sensitive lungs after ventilation, because it leaves no chemical residue or harsh cleaner smell. Read about reducing residue with ozone.
4. Broad coverage of viruses, bacteria and mold, according to test results certified for the company.
5. It helps restaurants and snack shops reopen with confidence in their hygiene.
6. It suits dormitories and rental rooms that need many rooms treated before tenants return. See the service details.
7. It reduces airborne mold spores, a key trigger for asthma and allergies.
8. Short time per zone, about 30 minutes, so you can plan floor by floor.
9. Certification from the Department of Medical Sciences and Intertek, as received by the company.
10. A promotion for larger jobs: 15,000 baht or more includes a free medical-grade disinfectant spray. See the ozone service page.

Before and After: A Nakhon Sawan Shophouse Restored in the Right Order

Example Case: A Three-Storey Dormitory in Mueang Nakhon Sawan

Example case (an illustrative scenario, not a real customer review)

Wichai owns a three-storey dormitory in Mueang Nakhon Sawan district. Most tenants are students and office workers. When the road outside flooded, water entered the entire row of ground-floor rooms to about a hand-span deep, and the ground-floor bathroom drains pushed sewage up as well. Ground-floor tenants had to move out temporarily.

After the water receded, Wichai hired workers to remove mud, wash floors, replace soaked mattresses and open every window to dry the rooms. But several returning tenants said they could still smell mustiness and drains. Some asked directly whether the rooms had been disinfected, because they did not want visiting children to get sick.

Wichai contacted WHD on LINE and sent a floor plan of the ground floor plus photos taken after cleaning. The team advised him to check the damp spots under sinks and behind built-in wardrobes first, then set a date once travel was confirmed. On the day, the team treated the rooms one by one as zones, about 30 minutes each, with no tenants or pets inside any room being treated, followed by ventilation.

"I can tell tenants honestly that the rooms have been washed, dried and disinfected. People coming to view the rooms say the smell is clearly different," Wichai says in this example. Because the job exceeded 15,000 baht, it also came with a medical-grade disinfectant spray for wiping door handles and stair rails afterwards.

Nakhon Sawan Flood Recovery Checklist

The first day back

• Switch off the main breaker before entering, and have an electrician check sockets, wiring and meters that were under water.
• Open every door and window to air the house before working inside for long.
• Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and a mask, and cover all wounds.
• Photograph all damage before you start throwing things away.

Mud out, wash and dry

• Shovel out all mud before it hardens, including in the drain outside and the gutters.
• Wash surfaces with water and detergent, then disinfect hard surfaces following Department of Disease Control or Department of Health advice.
• Throw away food, medicine, snacks and ingredients that touched floodwater, even if the packaging looks fine.
• Most soaked mattresses, pillows, rugs and cardboard boxes should be discarded.
• Dry everything within 24 to 48 hours using fans and ventilation; a dehumidifier helps a lot.
• Check hidden damp spots: under sinks, behind built-in cabinets and ground-floor ceilings.

On ozone day

• Everyone, pets and plants leave the area completely.
• Remove food, medicine and items that should not be exposed to ozone, as the team advises.
• Open cabinets, drawers and inner doors; close windows and vents.
• Re-enter only after the team confirms ventilation is complete.

After ozone

• Let older adults and people with respiratory conditions return last.
• Keep ventilating daily and repair any leaks.
• Monitor everyone's health for at least two to three weeks. Fever, calf pain or diarrhoea means seeing a doctor.

FAQ: Ozone Disinfection in Nakhon Sawan

The water is still rising. Can we book ahead?
You can ask questions and plan ahead by phone on 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268, but the actual work date must wait until the water has dropped, the mud is out and the house is dry. The team will confirm the date and travel again, and cannot guarantee same-day arrival.

Does WHD have a branch in Nakhon Sawan?
No. The office is in Bang Khae, Bangkok. Service in Nakhon Sawan is planned and confirmed job by job.

When can someone with asthma come home?
After the house has been dried, disinfected and fully ventilated, and ideally after checking with their regular doctor for any extra precautions. Nobody may be inside during ozone treatment.

Can ozone replace washing the house?
No. Mud removal, washing and drying always come first. Ozone deals with the germs and odour that remain in the air and on surfaces after cleaning.

Does a multi-storey shophouse need treating throughout?
It depends on which floors the water and smell reached. The team assesses and divides the building into zones, typically about 30 minutes per zone.

What extra steps should a restaurant take?
Discard ingredients that touched water, wash and disinfect utensils, equipment and food-contact surfaces as public health agencies advise, and then treat enclosed areas with ozone before reopening.

Plan Your Nakhon Sawan Recovery Today, So the Day the Water Drops Is a Fresh Start

Talk to the WHD team to assess your space and plan ozone disinfection for your home, shophouse, shop or dormitory once it has been washed and dried.

Ask About Ozone Disinfection

Call 065-556-6294 · LINE @whd268 · worldhealthdisinfection@gmail.com

Related services

• Disinfection service
• Chemgene disinfectant
• Certification documents

References

• Bangkokbiznews, DDPM flood summary: bangkokbiznews.com
• Thai PBS flood news: thaipbs.or.th
• CDC, after a flood: cdc.gov/floods
• WHO fact sheets: who.int
• Thailand Department of Disease Control: ddc.moph.go.th