Heavy flooding has hit Bangkok, Thailand's capital, after continuous rain caused widespread damage across the city. Bangkok authorities declared a disaster across all 50 districts of the Thai capital on September 26. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported that around 700,000 people have been affected by floods in the capital. The flooding has also caused significant disruptions, with schools shut for a second day and almost 7,000 people staying in more than 230 shelters across the city.
The DDPM detailed the fatalities, stating that four people died in Bangkok, eight in Samut Prakan, which lies between the capital and the sea, and six in Sa Kaeo, an eastern province. The remaining deaths were recorded in Chanthaburi, southeast of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Saraburi, two provinces to the north of the capital. In total, 23 people have died in floods across Thailand since mid-September. The flooding has hit 29 of Thailand's 77 provinces, with many areas still water-logged.
September is the peak of Thailand's rainy season, but many Bangkok residents said this year's floods seemed worse than previous ones. The city is built on former marshlands and is intersected by a network of canals, many of them heavily flooded by the rains. Pumping stations have been operating at full capacity for days, but Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said it could take "up to a week" for the waters to fully drain. Residents have expressed frustration with the official warnings, which they felt came too late.
Over the weekend, deep floodwaters in Bangkok drove thousands of residents into shelters as others scrambled to buy groceries or dry out their homes. Pedestrians in plastic rain ponchos waded through murky, knee-deep water in the Thai capital, some floating their belongings in plastic tubs - while others used small boats to traverse submerged city streets. Evacuees rested under pop-up mosquito-net tents in a school gymnasium turned temporary refuge.
More than 330 millimetres of rain fell in some areas of the city between Thursday and Sunday, the weather agency said. Nearly 4,900 people have been evacuated to shelters, with around 52,000 households affected by the floods, which prompted a disaster declaration across the capital. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reported that hundreds of schools will be closed on Monday due to the flooding.
Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as global warming accelerates because of fossil fuel emissions. The flooding has also prompted a response from the military, with over 10,000 soldiers deployed nationwide to aid in flood relief efforts. Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan provinces, which border Bangkok, also declared several districts as disaster zones.
The prime minister's office asked the public to avoid panic-buying and warned that price gouging was a criminal offence. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on social media that water levels in the city's canals were still high, but authorities were working to speed up drainage. Residents have reported that the water level is higher than the 2011 flood, which killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.
Key points
- Four people have died in Bangkok due to heavy flooding.
- The toll from floods across Thailand since mid-September has risen to 23.
- Around 700,000 people have been affected by floods in the capital, Bangkok.
