Thailand: Thailand’s capital Bangkok has declared a flood disaster across all 50 districts after nearly two days of intense rainfall caused widespread waterlogging, overflowing canals and major disruption across the city.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the situation had begun to stabilise, but warned that residents could face several more days of flooding. If additional heavy rain is avoided, authorities expect the accumulated water to take around two to three days to drain.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has also shortened his visit to London and is returning to Thailand as the government responds to the worsening situation in the capital.
Officials said Bangkok received close to 300 millimetres of rain since Thursday afternoon, putting enormous pressure on the city’s drainage network. Several residential and commercial areas were inundated, forcing people to move through deep water.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration initially declared three districts disaster zones on Friday before extending the measure to the entire capital on Saturday. The move gives authorities greater flexibility to deploy resources and respond to emergencies.
Around 980 people were staying in temporary shelters, while 36 bedridden residents had reportedly been moved to hospitals for safety. Eastern parts of Bangkok, particularly communities located near canals, were among the areas facing the most serious flooding.
Authorities have advised residents in vulnerable locations to move vehicles and valuable belongings to higher ground. The BMA has also prepared approximately one million sandbags and opened temporary shelters in schools.
Bangkok’s drainage infrastructure is operating at maximum capacity, with pumping stations collectively handling about 1,200 cubic metres of water per second. Municipal teams are also removing waste and debris from drainage channels to improve water flow.
The city has recorded unusually high rainfall this month. From September 1 to 25, Bangkok received around 487 millimetres of rain, considerably above the average of about 269 millimetres recorded during the same period between 1991 and 2020.
Thailand’s Meteorological Department has warned that heavy to very heavy rainfall could continue through September 27. Authorities have cautioned about possible flash floods and rising water levels in canals and other waterways.
The flooding has affected areas beyond Bangkok as well, with tens of thousands of people across several provinces reportedly impacted. Travel has also been disrupted, and passengers using Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports have been advised to allow additional time because of flooded roads and difficult weather conditions.
Authorities are continuing to monitor rainfall, drainage levels and canal conditions as Bangkok prepares for the possibility of further downpours.
