The Pa Sak River Situation at Tha Ruea Market, According to News Reports

According to MGR Online, on 29 September 2026 red warning flags were raised along the Pa Sak River in Tha Ruea district because the water level was only about 10 centimetres below the point where it would overflow the bank. Vendors at the Tha Ruea fresh market moved their stock and equipment away from the water, the market was relocated to a temporary site, and sandbags were laid as a barrier. At the same time, the Rama VI Dam was releasing water downstream.

The same report noted that on 5 October 2026 the Royal Irrigation Department expected the water level below the Rama VI Dam to rise by roughly 1.00 to 1.20 metres, and asked people in Tha Ruea district to stay on alert. These figures reflect the date of the report. River levels change every day, so readers should follow the latest announcements from the Royal Irrigation Department, the district office and the local municipality.

Nationally, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation data published by the Government Public Relations Department as of 06.00 on 7 October 2026 showed floods in 27 provinces plus Bangkok, 123 districts and 984 subdistricts, affecting 1,154,875 households and more than 3.1 million people. Ayutthaya sits downstream of the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak and Lop Buri rivers.

The late September reports describe water close to overflowing and the preparations people made, so this article states no flood depth inside the market itself. For the lowest stalls and riverside homes, where water can seep in or rise through drains, planning cleanup and disinfection in advance makes sense.

Example Case: A Pork Stall by the River, and the Day It Had to Reopen

Note: this is a typical scenario compiled from situations that often occur in riverside markets during high water. It is not the account of any specific vendor.

Auntie Noi has sold fresh pork at a riverside market for more than twenty years. On the morning the red flags went up, she and her son loaded the chiller, chopping blocks, scales and ice buckets onto a pickup and set up at the temporary spot the market had arranged. The new site had no drainage channel and no tap nearby. Washing hands, boards and knives meant using water carried in buckets, which made basic hygiene much harder than usual.

A few days later she went back to her old stall. The floor was damp with silt in the grooves, wet rubbish was packed under the table, a sewer smell kept rising, and there were rat droppings behind a cabinet. She scrubbed twice with detergent but still was not sure it was safe for fresh meat.

Her question is the one almost every riverside vendor asks: it has been washed, but is it clean enough for food? Washing removes most mud, yet some germs remain in grooves, under tables and on touched surfaces, which is why WHO and the U.S. CDC advise cleaning and then disinfecting surfaces floodwater has touched, especially where food is handled.

Her son sent photos to the WHD team on LINE. The team suggested that the whole row wash together first and then book one spraying visit, so a clean stall would not be recontaminated by runoff from the next.

Flood Germs in Tha Ruea, Ayutthaya: What Can Follow Water Into a Food Market and Riverside Homes

A riverside fresh market has features that make post-flood germs more worrying than in a typical home: raw meat, seafood, blood, ice, organic waste, drains that carry wash water from every stall, and a rat population that is already there. When the Pa Sak rises or the drains back up, water spreads all of this across the market floor and into nearby homes. Below are the key germs to know. This is general prevention information, not treatment advice. Anyone who feels unwell should see a doctor.

1. Salmonella: from raw meat, eggs and sewage

How the flood spreads it: Salmonella lives in the gut of poultry, pigs and other animals and can be found on eggshells. Floodwater or drain backflow carrying blood and meat scraps moves it around the market.

Where it hides afterwards: knife-scarred wooden boards, floor grooves under meat stalls, display trays, ice buckets and damp hand towels.

Symptoms and who is at risk: diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting. Young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weak immunity can become more seriously ill.

Prevention: throw away food that touched floodwater, clean and disinfect boards, knives and tables before reopening, and keep raw and cooked equipment apart. According to WHD's product information, Salmonella is one of the organisms CHEMGENE HLD4H is stated to cover.

2. E. coli (Escherichia coli): the marker of faecal contamination

How the flood spreads it: E. coli comes from human and animal intestines. When public toilets in the market, septic tanks or community sewers are pushed back by rising water, it spills out with the water pooling on the floor.

Where it hides afterwards: toilet floors, market walkways, drainage channels, table legs, trolley wheels and vendors' boots.

Symptoms and who is at risk: some types cause severe diarrhoea and cramps, occasionally with blood. Young children and older adults are most at risk.

Prevention: wash hands with soap after using the toilet and before handling food, and wash floors with clean water before disinfecting. E. coli belongs to the bacteria group the product says it covers in general, but WHD's pages do not list a test result for this specific organism. You can ask the team for test data.

3. Shigella: the cause of bacillary dysentery

How the flood spreads it: Shigella spreads from the stool of infected people, and only a small number of bacteria are needed to cause illness. It spreads easily where people crowd together and clean water is short, such as temporary markets and shelters.

Where it hides afterwards: toilet door handles, taps, water scoops, handrails and coins and notes that change hands all day.

Symptoms and who is at risk: frequent loose stools with mucus or blood, straining and fever. Young children are most at risk.

Prevention: frequent handwashing, attention to shared touch points, and daily disinfection of market toilets after a flood. Shigella belongs to the bacteria group covered in general, with no organism-specific test result listed.

4. Vibrio: from seafood stalls and melted ice

How the flood spreads it: Vibrio bacteria are found in raw seafood such as shrimp, shellfish and crab, and in the water used to keep it. When water washes through seafood stalls and melted ice, the bacteria can spread to floors and other equipment.

Where it hides afterwards: seafood soaking basins, ice chests, plastic crates and the wet floor around seafood stalls.

Symptoms and who is at risk: diarrhoea, cramps and vomiting from undercooked seafood. Some types can cause serious infection of wounds exposed to water. People with liver disease or diabetes should take extra care.

Prevention: cook seafood thoroughly, use only ice made for consumption, cover wounds with waterproof dressings, and clean and disinfect equipment. Vibrio belongs to the bacteria group, and the product pages list no organism-specific test for it.

5. Leptospira: the cause of leptospirosis

How the flood spreads it: a fresh market already feeds a rat population. When the water rises, rats climb onto shelves, into storerooms and into nearby homes. Their urine, which can carry Leptospira, mixes into standing water and mud.

Where it hides afterwards: wet mud in market corners, behind chillers, under stacks of plastic crates, in drains and in storerooms.

Symptoms and who is at risk: the bacteria enter through cuts, scrapes or skin softened by long soaking. Illness often begins with a sudden high fever, headache, muscle pain especially in the calves, and red eyes. People who wade while moving stock, wash the market or collect rubbish are most exposed. Anyone who develops a fever after wading should see a doctor and mention the floodwater exposure.

Prevention: rubber boots and gloves, waterproof dressings on wounds, rat control and covered bins. Leptospira belongs to the bacteria group, and the product pages list no specific test result for it.

6. Hepatitis A virus

How the flood spreads it: hepatitis A spreads through food and water contaminated with faeces. When clean water for handwashing and rinsing vegetables is scarce, the risk rises.

Where it hides afterwards: vegetables rinsed in unsafe water, ice, containers and the hands of food handlers.

Symptoms and who is at risk: tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, and yellowing of the skin and eyes.

Prevention: eat freshly cooked food, drink safe water, wash hands with soap, and ask a doctor about vaccination. This virus falls within the virus group the product says it covers in general, without a specific listed test.

7. Norovirus: the cause of group outbreaks of vomiting and diarrhoea

How the flood spreads it: norovirus is extremely contagious and passes through food, water, hands and surfaces soiled by vomit or stool. Outbreaks are common where people are crowded together, such as shelters and temporary markets.

Where it hides afterwards: handrails, cash counters, plastic bags, toilets and any shared surface.

Symptoms and who is at risk: sudden vomiting, diarrhoea and cramps. Young children and older adults risk dehydration.

Prevention: wash hands with soap and water, clean up vomit promptly and then disinfect. According to WHD's product information, norovirus is one of the organisms CHEMGENE HLD4H is stated to cover.

8. Staphylococcus aureus and infected wounds

How the flood spreads it: this bacterium lives on the skin and in the nose of many people. Vendors who are cut by knives, pricked by bones or fish scales, or scraped while moving stock in a hurry can develop infected wounds when those wounds soak in dirty water.

Where it hides afterwards: knife handles, rags, wet cloth gloves and surfaces that touch wounds.

Symptoms and who is at risk: swelling, redness, heat, pain and pus, sometimes with fever. People with diabetes and older adults heal more slowly.

Prevention: rinse wounds with clean water and cover them. See a doctor if a wound becomes red and swollen or you develop a fever, and ask about tetanus vaccination if a wound was dirty. This organism belongs to the bacteria group, with no specific test listed.

9. Moulds in storerooms and riverside homes (Aspergillus, Penicillium, Stachybotrys)

How the flood spreads it: when walls, timber, cardboard boxes and sacks stay damp for more than 24 to 48 hours, mould spores begin to grow.

Where it hides afterwards: lower walls, plywood, cardboard boxes, rice sacks, under the wooden floors of riverside houses and behind cabinets with no airflow.

Symptoms and who is at risk: blocked nose, coughing, sneezing, sore eyes and itchy rashes. People with asthma, allergies or weak immunity are at higher risk.

Prevention: discard porous materials that have grown mould, ventilate, dry everything as fast as possible, then disinfect. According to the product information, fungi and mould are a group CHEMGENE HLD4H is stated to cover, though no genus-by-genus test is listed.

The common thread for Tha Ruea market: all of these germs settle on surfaces that are wet, dirty and touched often. Reducing the risk means two steps in sequence: first clean away mud, grease, blood and rubbish, then disinfect the clean surface. A disinfectant works best in direct contact with the surface, without a layer of mud or grease in the way, which is the same principle the CDC sets out for flood-affected areas.

What Tha Ruea Vendors and Residents Risk If They Skip Disinfection

Health: food for the whole community passes through the market. Sewage germs or rat droppings left on surfaces can reach customers via uncooked food, ice and hands, and children, older adults, pregnant women and the chronically ill are most vulnerable.

Income: many vendors lost earnings when stalls moved. If customers fall ill after reopening, the damage can drag on for weeks; systematic cleaning and disinfection protects regular trade, and planning row by row avoids repeating the job.

Trust: local shoppers want to see hygiene taken seriously. Telling them stalls were washed and disinfected helps them return.

Why Washing a Fresh Market With Water and Detergent Is Not Enough

Detergents and ordinary floor cleaners are designed to remove grease, mud and dirt, which is an essential step. They are not designed to reliably destroy germs on surfaces. High-pressure hosing done carelessly can also splash dirty water onto walls, tables and the people cleaning.

Home-mixed bleach is easy to get wrong: too strong corrodes metal and irritates airways, too weak does little, it loses strength in mud, and it must never be mixed with toilet cleaners or ammonia.

Commonly missed spots include table undersides, the backs of chillers, fridge door seals, drain rims, under storeroom shelves and rough lower walls, exactly where germs persist.

Trained technicians spraying or fogging a disinfectant can reach these corners more evenly, at a suitable quantity and contact time. Spraying always follows mud removal and washing; it never replaces cleaning.

How the WHD Post-Flood Spraying Service Works for Markets and Homes in Tha Ruea

According to World Health Disinfection's service information, trained technicians spray and/or apply ULV (Ultra Low Volume) fogging, a fine mist that drifts into corners, using CHEMGENE HLD4H, a medical-grade disinfectant from the United Kingdom containing Benzalkonium Chloride and Didecyldimethylammonium Chloride. The service page lists viruses, bacteria and fungi including COVID-19, RSV, H1N1, H5N1 and hand-foot-mouth virus, with a stated efficacy of 99.99%, and lists approvals or endorsements from the Thai Department of Medical Sciences, Mahidol University, NHS England and the EN 14476:2013+A2:2019 standard.

1. Survey and assessment: send photos, the floor area, the number of stalls or rooms and how high the water reached by phone on 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268. The team assesses the job and agrees a suitable date. WHD is based in Bang Khae, Bangkok 10160 and has no branch in Ayutthaya, so upcountry visits are arranged in advance case by case.
2. Mud removal and washing: the owner or a cleaning crew removes mud, throws away spoiled food and materials, and washes floors and tables with clean water and detergent first.
3. Preparation and zoning: food, containers and stock are removed, the market is divided into rows or zones, and electrical equipment that should not be misted is covered or moved.
4. Spraying: people, pets and other animals must leave the zone being sprayed. Technicians treat floors, lower walls, tables, shelves, toilets and shared touch points.
5. Waiting and re-entry: the service information says to wait about 30 minutes before using the space normally. Follow the re-entry time the technicians give on the day, and for surfaces that touch food directly, ask whether they should be wiped or rinsed with clean water before food goes back on them.

According to the service information, customers receive a free CHEMGENE spray bottle and WELLGIENIC wet tissues, and a tax invoice is available. Pricing depends on the size and condition of the site, so please ask the team directly.

10 Reasons Fresh Markets and Pa Sak Riverside Homes in Tha Ruea Should Disinfect After the Water Recedes

1. A fresh market is where the whole community's food passes through, so surface hygiene affects many people at once.
2. Drain backflow in a market often carries blood, meat scraps and sewage, a source of Salmonella and E. coli.
3. Rats escaping the water leave urine and droppings on shelves, raising the risk of leptospirosis after a flood.
4. ULV mist reaches under tables, behind chillers and along drain rims more evenly than hand wiping.
5. CHEMGENE HLD4H is a medical-grade disinfectant used, according to the service information, by hospitals, schools and airports.
6. Trained technicians use suitable quantities and contact times, avoiding the risks of mixing chemicals yourself.
7. Spraying a whole row as one zone stops treated stalls from being recontaminated by neighbours.
8. It helps reduce musty odours from mould and bacteria, making the market more pleasant to visit.
9. Vendors can tell customers their stall has been washed and given post-flood disinfection spraying, which builds confidence.
10. A tax invoice is available for registered businesses, and the team is easy to reach on LINE @whd268.

Before and After Spraying: A Tha Ruea Market Stall After the Water

Recovery Checklist for Markets and Homes in Tha Ruea, Ayutthaya

Before spraying

• Switch off power in any zone the water reached and have an electrician check before use.
• Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and a mask while shovelling mud.
• Throw away all food, ice and ingredients that touched floodwater.
• Discard wooden boards, sponges, hand towels and cardboard boxes that soaked.
• Wash floors, tables, shelves and drains with clean water and detergent.
• Open doors and windows and use fans to dry everything within 24 to 48 hours.

After spraying

• Wait for the re-entry time the technicians give.
• Ask about wiping food-contact surfaces before laying out goods.
• Set rat traps and keep rubbish in lidded bins.
• Set up a handwashing point with soap for vendors and shoppers.
• Watch for symptoms in yourself and your family. See a doctor for fever, calf pain, diarrhoea or an inflamed wound.

FAQ: Post-Flood Disinfection in Tha Ruea, Ayutthaya

Q: The market was only on alert and the river did not actually come in. Should we still disinfect?
A: If no water entered at all, there is no rush. But if drains backed up, rainwater pooled, or you found signs of rats while the stalls were moved, clean first and then consider disinfecting before reopening.

Q: How long do we need to stay out?
A: Nobody, human or animal, should be in the zone during spraying. Afterwards, the service information says to wait about 30 minutes, and you should follow the time the technicians give on the day.

Q: Will residue stay on food tables?
A: Do not assume none. For surfaces that touch food directly, ask the technicians whether to wipe or rinse them with clean water before use.

Q: Does it kill leptospirosis bacteria?
A: Leptospira is a bacterium. The product is stated to cover bacteria in general, but no specific test for this organism is listed. You can request more information from the team. The most important steps are protecting yourself while wading and seeing a doctor if you develop a fever.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: It depends on the area, the number of zones and the condition after the flood. Send details to LINE @whd268 or call 065-556-6294 for an assessment.

Reopen Your Stall at Tha Ruea Market With Confidence

Remove the mud, wash thoroughly, then let the WHD team spray zone by zone before food goes back on the table.

See the Disinfection Spraying Service

Call 065-556-6294 | LINE @whd268

Related Links and References

• World Health Disinfection spraying service
• CHEMGENE HLD4H disinfectant
• Ozone treatment for musty indoor air
• MGR Online, Pa Sak River near the bank at Tha Ruea market (29 September and 5 October 2026): mgronline.com
• Government Public Relations Department, DDPM flood update (7 October 2026): prd.go.th
• CDC floods and cleanup: https://www.cdc.gov/floods/
• World Health Organization fact sheets: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets
• Thai Department of Disease Control: https://ddc.moph.go.th/