Thailand expects to clear Bangkok floodwater in two to three days

Bangkok, Thailand experienced severe flooding on September 29, resulting in four additional deaths, bringing the overall death toll from the floods to 23 since mid-September. The flood affected around 700,000 people in the capital city, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). Parts of Bangkok remained inundated three days after city authorities declared a city-wide disaster following nearly 48 hours of continuous rain.

Schools remained closed for the second day, and nearly 7,000 people sought refuge in more than 230 shelters across the city.

The DDPM reported that the flooding had impacted 29 out of Thailand's 77 provinces. In Bangkok, four fatalities occurred, while eight people died in Samut Prakan, a province situated between the capital and the sea. Six people lost their lives in Sa Kaeo, an eastern province, and the remaining deaths were recorded in Chanthaburi, southeast of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Saraburi, two provinces to the north of the capital.

September marks the peak of Thailand's rainy season, yet many Bangkok residents described this year's floods as more severe than previous years. The city, built on former marshlands, is intersected by a network of canals that were heavily flooded by the rains. Pumping stations have been functioning at full capacity for several days, but Governor Chadchart Sittipunt stated on Sunday that it might take "up to a week" for the waters to fully drain.

Scientists caution that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will likely escalate due to global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions.