PHUKET: The chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has issued an emergency warning for Phuket and other Andaman provinces for the next four days.

The letter to authorities in Phuket, Phang Nga, Ranong, Krabi and Trang warns of the potential for flooding and landslips and orders DDPM staff to go on 24-hour alert.

The forecast for Phuket and the region from the Phuket-based Southern Meteorological Centre (West Coast) remained unchanged tonight.

The centre predicts mild weather on Tuesday and Wednesday with severe weather likely to strike Phuket and the region on Thursday and Friday.

There's an 80 percent chance of rain on those days, which is very high.

Continuous rain over several days has brought dangerous landslips to Phuket and the region in the past, with construction sites on hillsides particularly at risk.

Flooding usually occurs with the first serious downpours of the monsoon season. Flooding tends to be pronounced if for some reason the drains and waterways are clogged with plastic bags and other rubbish.

Once the garbage residue from the high season clears, the chances of flooding reduce.