Bangkok flood victims seek supplies as Thai prime minister cuts UK trip short
Residents trapped by severe flooding in Bangkok are appealing for drinking water and food as the city confronts its worst inundation in 15 years. The capital has declared a disaster across all 50 districts, while Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has curtailed overseas travel to oversee the response.
Residents stranded by floodwaters in Bangkok appealed for drinking water and food on Sunday as Thailand’s prime minister cut short a diplomatic trip to return to the crisis, which has brought parts of the capital to a standstill. The Bangkok town hall declared a disaster in all 50 districts after days of persistent rain overwhelmed the city’s drainage system. The flooding began worsening on Friday evening, with densely populated areas in the east remaining severely affected.
At least two large housing complexes were reported to be cut off from fresh supplies. In Bang Kapi district, residents said water around one block had reached chest height and warned of risks including electrocution, disease and snakes emerging from drains. Siraprapha Sangseeluem, a 24-year-old resident, told This Week in Asia that nobody had come to help her building.
She said she had bottled water and instant noodles but was worried about running out of drinking water and cooking gas. She also criticised what she viewed as a slow response from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said drainage work could accelerate if no further rain fell, but warned that the water could not be removed quickly.
Water flowing from higher areas was replenishing drained areas, he said, and the process would take several more days. He added that evacuating large communities, including 30,000 people at Rom Klao housing estate, was difficult. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ended trips to the United Nations in New York and London early.
He said ministers would not travel overseas during the emergency and that the government’s priorities were reopening schools and shops, restoring work and making travel safe. The flooding has also damaged or submerged vehicles, disrupted traffic and left many communities wading through knee- or chest-high water. Thailand experiences seasonal flooding, but the source material says this year’s disaster has surprised many residents.
The city’s location on soft clay, which experts say is slowly sinking, adds to its exposure to extreme weather.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.