Council chief uses bright yellow duck pedalo to deliver aid to flood-striken residents

A council chief rode a yellow duck pedalo to deliver relief aid to flood-stricken residents in northern Thailand.

Video shows Jirapong Jaila, chief of the Bantam Subdistrict Municipality, pedaling in the bright yellow watercraft across the deluge following heavy rain in Phayao province on September 2.

He brought with him bags of necessities to give to the locals in neighbourhoods swamped in knee-deep floods.

Locals have been grappling with constant flooding as the rainy monsoon season caused the nearby Ing River to swell, with floodwaters reaching up to 3.3ft (one metre) high.

Jirapong said: 'Although several organisations have donated aid, they could not access some flooded areas because they had no boats. I decided to deliver the goods myself since I had the pedalo.'

The Thai Meteorological Department forecasted widespread thunderstorms and isolated heavy rain across northern Thailand, including Phayao province, this week.

Thailand and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia are in their annual monsoon rainy season which sees soaring temperatures followed by powerful rain storms in the afternoon leading to widespread flash floods.