The deluge came down at about 2pm, with Yaowarat Rd from the Samkong Shrine all the way to the Samkong Intersection (which the Samkong Underpass passes under) being affected.
Traffic Police were dispatched to the area as some cars stalled while trying to make their way through the floodwater across the road, while other motorists simply parked and waited for the floodwater to drain away.
Even some motorbikes had difficulty making their way through the inundation.
Meanwhile, officials from Phuket City Municipality were back on watch along the Bang Yai Canal to ensure that the water level in the canal did not rise to dangerous levels as the runoff continued to flow into the vital waterway.
Pumps were deployed to ensure water was being directed into the canal, which runs all the way through Phuket Town and empties into Phuket Bay at Saphan Hin, Phuket City Municipality reported.
Any people in need of assistance, or sandbags, were urged to call the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Division at Phuket City Municipality at Tel. 076-211111, or the DDPM hotline 199.
Officials noted that if there were no more serious downpours the likes of which Phuket Town experienced this afternoon, the chance of flooding was increasingly less likely.
Bang Yai Canal on watch has become a standard precaution for officials in Phuket Town, ever since the historic flooding through the town last year.
During the visit to Phuket by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin last month, Phuket City Mayor Saroj Angkhanapilas explained to PM Srettha the need to expedite projects to help prevent and alleviate flooding in Phuket Town.
Doing so would help improve the area’s economic performance and improve Phuket Town’s image as a tourism destination, he said.
Mayor Saroj has already presented a drainage system construction project costing B226 million to help protect the Phuket Old Town area from repeated flooding.