Bangkok declares citywide flood disaster after days of relentless rain
Bangkok authorities have declared a flood disaster across all 50 districts after more than 48 hours of rain inundated neighbourhoods, paralysed roads and forced thousands from their homes. Floodwater reached at least 60 centimetres in some areas, while forecasters warned that heavy rain would continue through Sunday.
Bangkok authorities have declared a flood disaster across all 50 districts after days of heavy rain inundated neighbourhoods, stranded commuters and forced thousands of residents to leave their homes. The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority said flooding had spread across the Thai capital following more than 48 hours of continuous rain. Water reached at least two feet, or 60 centimetres, in some places and was still rising on Saturday.
Roads, cars and homes were submerged, while floodwater carried rubbish through narrow streets in the Pra Kanong district. Tens of thousands of commuters were reportedly trapped in traffic during Friday’s rush hour, prompting an online campaign to map flooded roads. Residents said the flooding was unusually severe.
Narin Wernthaisong, who was wading through thigh-high water, told the source that he had never seen flooding of that severity during his years in Bangkok, apart from the major 2011 floods. The city’s drainage system is poorly equipped for sudden bursts of rain, according to the report. City planners also said rapid construction on soft clay soils compounded Bangkok’s flood risks.
The BMA has been working to widen and clean drains, but the latest rainfall overwhelmed those efforts. Thailand’s Meteorological Department warned that heavy rain would continue across much of the country through Sunday. It attributed the conditions to a strong low-pressure system over the central region and strengthening southwest monsoon conditions.
The government said more than 84,000 people in 21 provinces had been affected by flooding, particularly in central Thailand. Authorities sent emergency alerts to people in affected areas through the cell-broadcast system. Despite the disruption, residents helped one another by using sandbags, moving belongings to higher floors and delivering food to older people trapped in their homes.
Some communities also gathered under umbrellas to play music and socialise amid the flooding.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.