Bangkok Declares Flood Emergency as Heavy Rains Submerge City
Authorities urge residents to stay home as canals overflow and roads become impassable.
A flood emergency has been declared across Bangkok after 48 hours of continuous heavy rain submerged roads and overwhelmed the city's drainage system.
Residents have been advised to remain in their homes, and those living near the city's canals have been instructed to move belongings to higher floors. Thunderstorms are a common occurrence in Thailand during this season, but the recent extreme weather has caused significant flooding, leading to traffic chaos on already congested streets.
The heavy rainfall is expected to persist into Sunday, increasing concerns that more canals may breach their banks. All 50 of Bangkok's districts have been designated as emergency zones.
Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a 67-year-old resident living near a canal north of the city center, described the situation as dire. "The water keeps coming in. It's hard to go out now. It's like at my waist level now," she told AFP news agency, adding that she had been unable to open her shop for two days. She noted that the current water levels appeared worse than those during the nationwide flooding in 2011, which resulted in hundreds of deaths across Thailand over a three-month period. No casualties have been reported in Bangkok from the current flooding.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt stated that the eastern part of the city has been the most severely affected. "The rain keeps falling and we are doing our best. We are trying to pump the water out, but the water in canals are full... The risk areas are those who live near canals. Every canal is now filled," he reported.
The Thai Meteorological Service has forecast additional heavy rain throughout the week, although the low-pressure system responsible for the recent downpours is predicted to move toward central Thailand.