Canals full, roads underwater as Bangkok declares flood disaster amid torrential rains
Authorities say they will focus on draining floodwaters and keeping roads and drainage systems clear, tell public not to panic about food shortages The post Canals full, roads underwater as Bangkok declares flood disaster amid torrential rains appeared first on The Times of Israel .
Bangkok's governor declared a flood disaster across the Thai capital on Saturday after nearly 48 hours of heavy rain flooded canals, submerged roads and submerged residents in deep water. Almost 300 millimetres (11.8 inches) of rain fell, prompting Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to urge people to stay home. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cut short a trip to London to return to Thailand.
"The water keeps coming in. It's hard to go out now. It's like at my waist level now," said Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a 67-year-old vendor living near a canal north of central Bangkok. "I cannot go anywhere. I have been closing my shop for two days now," she told AFP. Residents in various neighbourhoods were forced to wade through high waters as at least 13 roads were flooded.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration declared all 50 districts as flood disaster zones, granting local organizations special powers to act. At least 980 people were staying in temporary shelters, while authorities transferred 36 bedridden individuals to hospitals. The flooding was worst in the eastern part of the city and along the canals, with Chadchart urging residents to move their belongings to higher ground.
The city, built on former marshland and about 1.5 metres (five feet) above sea level, is particularly vulnerable to flooding. The BMA stated that the city's pumping stations were operating at full capacity, pumping 1,200 cubic metres per second combined. Municipal workers were busy clearing roads to ensure drains could quickly accommodate the incoming floodwater.
September is the peak of the rainy season in Bangkok, but this year has seen more rain than usual, with the city recording 487 millimetres of rain between September 1 and 25, compared to an average of nearly 269 millimetres for the same period from 1991-2020. Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up due to fossil fuel emissions.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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