The Ta Phraya, Sa Kaeo Flood of 2026 (B.E. 2569)

According to the Government Public Relations Department (PRD) on 26 September 2026 (B.E. 2569) (prd.go.th), water from the Huai Lam Sa Ton stream, which rises in Ta Phraya National Park, overflowed onto Highway 348 at Ban Mai Thai Thawon, Tap Rat subdistrict, Ta Phraya district, Sa Kaeo. The water was about 30 cm deep along roughly 200 metres of road, making it hard for small vehicles to pass. Border Patrol Police unit 124 helped move elderly residents and patients to temporary shelters.

Events like this are common along the eastern border. Runoff from the hills arrives fast, main roads are cut for a time, and communities turn to the nearest large building as a shelter or a relief distribution point. Very often that building is a gym, an assembly hall, a multipurpose pavilion or a school sports building, because these have open floors, high roofs and restrooms for many people.

Nationally, PRD, citing the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation as of 06:00 on 7 October 2026 (B.E. 2569), reported flooding in 27 provinces plus Bangkok, covering 123 districts, 984 subdistricts and 1,154,875 households, with more than 3.1 million people affected (prd.go.th). That means a large number of sports grounds, gyms and event spaces across Thailand were either flooded directly or used as shelters this year.

Example Case: A Subdistrict Gym That Became a Temporary Home for a Week

Note: this is a typical scenario compiled from situations commonly seen in flooded areas. It does not describe a specific person or identify any particular shelter in Ta Phraya district.

Wilai looks after a local government gym in eastern Thailand. She remembers the night heavy rain sent runoff across the road. Within hours, the gym normally used for futsal, volleyball and school sports days became a temporary shelter. Elderly residents, bedridden patients and families with small children slept on mats and camp beds. Volunteers set up food tables, the athletes' restrooms ran day and night, and muddy shoes crossed the court constantly.

A week later the water drops and people go home. Wilai stands in the empty hall. The court is crusted with dried mud, the restrooms smell, the stands are littered with food scraps, and damp mats and blankets are piled in a storeroom corner. Her phone starts ringing: a school asking when training can resume, a seniors' exercise club wanting their sessions back, and an organiser who booked the hall for an event at the end of the month.

She has three cleaners and one hand pump sprayer for a building of several thousand square metres. The question in her head is simple: how do I disinfect the court, the stands, the restrooms, the changing rooms and the grounds around the building within a few days, and how do I tell users with confidence that it is safe?

Why Sports Venues Carry More Risk After a Flood Than People Think

A venue after a flood faces two layers of risk. The first is contamination carried in by the water itself: mud, wastewater and sewage that flow into the building or across outdoor pitches. The second is its use as a shelter or distribution point, which brings many households together in one space for days. Germs to watch for include:

• Bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella from wastewater and poorly stored food, plus the risk of leptospirosis from Leptospira bacteria in the mud and standing water around the grounds.
• Viruses such as norovirus and rotavirus, which cause diarrhoea and spread through shared restrooms, and influenza and RSV, which pass easily when people sleep together in one hall, especially young children and older adults.
• Moulds that grow on gymnastics mats, sleeping mats, blankets, nets, curtains, changing room walls and the damp space under the stands, causing musty odours and allergies.

Gyms and stadiums also have a lot of shared touch points: exercise equipment, balls, stand railings, benches, taps, showers and lockers. The people who return after the flood often have close contact with each other: athletes in contact sports, schoolchildren and seniors in exercise clubs. Without thorough disinfection, an illness that started in the shelter can follow people into the next event.

The key rule is clean first, disinfect second. Remove rubbish, take out wet mats and bedding, sweep and wash away the mud and let surfaces dry. Then apply a registered disinfectant according to its label. The sprayer spreads the product fast and evenly, but the germ-reducing performance comes from the disinfectant. Anyone with fever, calf pain or diarrhoea after a flood should see a doctor; spraying never replaces medical care.

The Pain Points for Venue Managers After the Water Recedes

Big floors and high roofs. One gym can cover several thousand square metres, plus stands, perimeter walkways, restrooms, changing rooms and car parks. Outdoor grounds are larger still. Using a hand pump here is like watering a football pitch with a watering can.

Few staff, lots of work. Most local governments and schools have only a few grounds staff, and they are also needed for other relief work at the same time.

A full calendar waiting. Tournaments, school sports days, youth training, seniors' aerobics, merit-making ceremonies, meetings and wedding receptions booked months ahead all want to know when the venue will reopen.

User anxiety. Parents sending children to training and older adults with chronic conditions will ask whether a former shelter is clean enough. Without a clear answer, users stay away.

Revenue and reputation. For private gyms, artificial turf pitches and event halls, every closed day is lost income, and a few reviews mentioning musty smells or poor hygiene can hurt bookings for a long time.

Why Hand Pumps and Mopping Alone Are Not Enough for a Sports Venue

• Hand pump sprayers have short range and coarse droplets. They cannot reach under the stands, high walls or net frames properly, and operators tire quickly over thousands of square metres.
• Mopping with disinfectant handles the court floor but not mats, equipment, railings, benches or changing room walls.
• Pressure washing is good for removing mud but uses a lot of water, can damage wooden and rubber floors, and is not disinfection in itself.
• Small electric sprayers need cables, which is unsafe in a damp building whose wiring has not been checked.

Venue managers need a tool that throws fine mist a long way, covers high and wide areas, moves freely without mains power and lets one person do enough work to reopen on schedule.

The Answer for Sports Venues: The SOLO PORT 423 Backpack Mistblower

The SOLO PORT 423 is an engine-powered backpack mistblower from SOLO Kleinmotoren GmbH, Germany. The engine spins a fan that produces a strong air stream; liquid from the tank is released into that stream at the end of the tube, breaks into fine mist and is blown far ahead. The operator can stand in the middle of the court or beside the stands and spread disinfectant across a wide area without walking up to every spot.

World Health Disinfection (WHD) sells this model to government agencies and large organisations. WHD's product page lists public areas, schools, hospitals, cinemas, shopping malls and factories among its uses, all places where crowds gather, just like stadiums and assembly halls.

Main specifications, according to SOLO (manufacturer data)

• Single-cylinder 2-stroke engine, 72.3 cm³
• Power 3.0 kW (4.1 HP)
• Spray liquid tank 12 L
• Maximum air flow 1,400 m³/h
• Horizontal reach about 12 m
• Dry weight about 11.0 kg
• Sound pressure at the operator 97 dB(A)

According to WHD's product information, the unit delivers ULV-type droplets below 30 microns that save chemical, and has a 1.4 L fuel tank, electronic ignition, a Nikasil cylinder, a UV-resistant translucent tank with a wide filler, a one-hand control lever, a padded harness and 4-point anti-vibration mounts. Actual droplet size depends on the nozzle and settings.

Standard equipment includes an adjustable misting nozzle, a long-reach nozzle, a wide-angle grille and a deflector screen. Indoors, use the wide-angle grille to spread mist over the floor and stands; outdoors and on event grounds, use the long-reach nozzle. Ask the WHD team about any other optional kits in the SOLO range.

How it differs from a thermal fogger

Many people search for "thermal fogger" when they want to treat a big space, but the SOLO PORT 423 does not use heat to make smoke. It uses air power to break the liquid into mist, which suits water-based disinfectants on surfaces in gyms, halls and changing rooms, without thick smoke that blocks visibility or triggers the fire alarm.

10 Reasons Stadiums, Gyms and Event Halls Should Own a SOLO PORT 423

1. Reaches high and wide. Up to 1,400 m³/h of air (manufacturer data) carries mist to upper stands and high walls that a hand pump cannot reach.
2. About 12 m of reach. Ideal for futsal and basketball courts and outdoor event grounds.
3. No mains power. Start work immediately, even while the building's electrics are still being checked after the flood.
4. 12 L tank. Fewer refills, which saves time on a large site.
5. Fine mist, no puddles. According to WHD, droplets below 30 microns leave a thin film, which suits wooden and rubber sports floors that should not stay wet. See the product details
6. Interchangeable nozzles. Wide-angle indoors, long-reach outdoors.
7. Useful all year. Disinfect after tournaments, after big events and before each season, or use it for pest control around the grounds with registered products.
8. Ready when the venue becomes a shelter. While it serves as temporary housing, empty common areas such as restrooms and waste points can be treated in rotation, following the product's re-entry time.
9. Reopen sooner. Disinfection that used to take days takes much less time, so the event calendar gets back on track. Request a quote
10. Confidence for athletes and users. A clear disinfection plan and records protect your venue's reputation.

Before and After: Restoring a Gym After Shelter Use

Step by Step: Disinfecting a Stadium, Gym or Event Space After a Flood

1. Check building safety. Inspect the electrics, control panels and floodlights, isolate power in wet areas, and check the roof, ceilings and stand structures.
2. Clear shelter items. Sort mats, blankets, camp beds and supply boxes. Wash or discard wet and mouldy items as appropriate, and remove all rubbish and food scraps.
3. Wash away mud and dirt. Sweep dried mud, wash floors with clean water and detergent. For wooden courts, use a damp mop instead of flooding the floor. Clean restrooms, changing rooms and showers thoroughly.
4. Ventilate and dry. Open every door and window and use large fans to drive moisture out from under the stands and from equipment stores.
5. Prepare the disinfectant per its label. Choose a registered product such as Chemgene HLD4H, confirm it suits your floor materials and dilute exactly as stated.
6. Close the area and post signs. Tell users in advance, block every entrance and make sure no people or animals remain inside.
7. Spray top to bottom, inside to outside. Start at the highest row of the stands and the walls, then railings, benches and equipment, and finish with the court floor before backing out through the main door. Use a low output on wooden floors.
8. Treat restrooms and changing rooms as separate zones. Use the wide-angle grille on walls, lockers, benches and floors.
9. Treat outdoor areas. For car parks, walkways and event grounds use the long-reach nozzle and always spray with the wind, never into it.
10. Allow contact and ventilation time. Let the disinfectant work for the time on the label, then wait for the stated re-entry period.
11. Wipe equipment and high-touch points. Wipe balls, dumbbells, grab rails and taps with a cloth and disinfectant, and log the date, zone and product used so you can inform users.

Safety When Using a Backpack Mistblower at a Sports Venue

• Always protect your hearing. Sound pressure at the operator is 97 dB(A) according to SOLO, and sound echoes in a high-roofed gym. Wear ear muffs or plugs.
• Take regular breaks. The engine vibrates. Even with anti-vibration mounts and a padded harness, rotate operators and limit continuous use.
• Wear PPE per the disinfectant label and SDS. Chemical-resistant gloves, goggles or a face shield, a suitable respirator, long sleeves or coveralls, and non-slip boots.
• Refuel outdoors. Switch off and let the engine cool before every refuel, away from sparks, flames and cigarettes.
• Respect the weight. About 11 kg dry and roughly 23 kg or more with a full 12 L tank. Take care on stadium steps, which are high and may be slippery.
• No people or animals in the spray zone. Never spray while evacuees, athletes or spectators are inside, never spray toward people, and keep the dogs and cats that often live around grounds away.
• Follow re-entry times on the disinfectant label and ventilate well before reopening.
• Train before use. Every operator should know how to start, set the dose, stop and clean the machine, and should read the manufacturer's manual.

Private Gyms, Artificial Turf Pitches and Event Halls

It is not only public venues that need a disinfection sprayer. Fitness clubs, five-a-side turf pitches, badminton halls and wedding or seminar venues all depend on customer confidence. After a flood, customers ask whether the place is clean before they book. An owner with their own sprayer can disinfect right after cleaning, reopen ahead of competitors and run a weekly disinfection round throughout the rainy season.

On outdoor artificial turf, mud and floodwater sink into the rubber crumb and sand layers, so wash and dry first, then apply a product whose label covers that surface. Fitness club showers and changing rooms should be treated after every deep clean.

Planning a Shelter-Ready Venue Before the Next Rainy Season

Venues near rivers, streams or hillside runoff, like many communities along the eastern border, can prepare in advance. Agree with the district and the local relief committee which halls will become shelters, and write a simple reopening plan that names who cleans, who sprays, which disinfectant is stocked and where the sprayer and PPE are kept.

Keep a small reserve of registered disinfectant, spare spark plugs and filters as the manual recommends, and run the machine briefly every month so it starts first time when it is needed. Mark the zones of your building on a floor plan, from the upper stands down to the court, restrooms and outdoor grounds, so any trained staff member can follow the same order. Finally, prepare a short notice for users that explains what was cleaned, what was disinfected and when the venue reopens. A venue that recovers in an organised way earns trust from the whole community.

Buy Your Own Unit, or Hire a Disinfection Service?

Local governments, schools and businesses with heavily used grounds or halls usually get better value from owning a SOLO PORT 423, because it serves after floods, after shelter use, after big events and in routine care all year.

If you are not ready to buy, or need a professional team during a peak, you can hire WHD's disinfection service as a separate option and plan to buy your own unit in the next budget round.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the SOLO PORT 423 price?

It depends on quantity and accessories. Contact WHD for a quotation on 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268.

2. Does a gym used as a flood shelter need disinfection before reopening?

Yes. Many people lived there together for days, shared restrooms and tracked in mud. Clean first, then apply a registered disinfectant according to its label.

3. Can it be used on a wooden parquet court?

Yes, with a low output and a light mist so nothing pools, using a product whose label permits that surface.

4. What is the difference between a mistblower and a thermal fogger?

A thermal fogger uses heat to turn liquid into smoke. The SOLO PORT 423 uses air power to make mist without heat, which suits water-based disinfectants indoors.

5. How far does this backpack sprayer reach?

About 12 m horizontally according to SOLO, depending on the nozzle and wind.

6. Which disinfectant should be used on a sports ground after a flood?

A registered disinfectant such as Chemgene HLD4H, mixed and used per its label. Performance depends on the product, not the machine.

7. Is it heavy?

About 11 kg dry, roughly 23 kg or more with a full tank. Fit, trained staff should operate it.

8. Does it need electricity?

No. It has a 2-stroke petrol engine; follow the manufacturer's manual for the fuel mix.

9. Can athletes use the hall right after spraying?

No. Wait for the re-entry time on the label and ventilate well.

10. What if we are not ready to buy?

Hire WHD's disinfection service separately. Call 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268.

Bring the Cheering Back to Your Venue With Confidence

Stadiums, gyms and event spaces are the heart of a community, both as shelters in a crisis and as places to play and gather afterwards. Contact World Health Disinfection for details and a quotation for the SOLO PORT 423.

View the SOLO PORT 423 and Request a Quote

Phone 065-556-6294 | LINE @whd268

Related Reading and References

• SOLO Port 423 backpack mistblower against dengue outbreaks, for municipalities and TAOs (Thai)
• Spraying against emerging diseases with the SOLO Port 423, for provincial public health offices (Thai)
• Chemgene HLD4H disinfectant
• World Health Disinfection spraying service
• PRD report on Highway 348 flooding at Ban Mai Thai Thawon, Ta Phraya, 26 September 2026 (B.E. 2569): https://www.prd.go.th/th/content/category/detail/id/33/iid/545151
• PRD national flood summary as of 7 October 2026 (B.E. 2569): https://www.prd.go.th/th/content/category/detail/id/33/iid/548715
• WHO fact sheets: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets