Bangkok Declares Flood Disaster After Heavy Rains Submerge Neighbourhoods

Bangkok’s city government has declared a flood disaster after the worst rains in years overwhelmed the Thai capital, inundating entire neighbourhoods and forcing thousands to leave their homes.

Floodwaters overwhelm neighbourhoods

The flooding was reported across Bangkok on Saturday, with roads and cars submerged as water levels rose across parts of the city.

Rains have pounded Bangkok since Wednesday and intensified on Friday, with no respite forecast until late Sunday.

The city is flood-prone, especially during the monsoon season, but floodwaters rarely linger for long.

This time, over 48 hours of continuous rain have paralysed parts of Bangkok as waters reached at least two feet (60cm) and continued rising.

The flooding has exposed Bangkok’s long-running drainage weakness, with the system described as notoriously ill-equipped to handle storm bursts.

The deluge comes amid what was described as the intensifying, unpredictable extremes of the climate crisis.

Sukhumvit Road district hit

In the Pra Kanong district, floodwaters pushed garbage through narrow alleyways off the main Sukhumvit Road.

The area is described as a hodgepodge of markets, hotels, cafes and bars, where expensive villas stand alongside working-class shophouses and blocks of flats.

The flooding there showed how the rising waters had cut across mixed neighbourhoods, affecting both commercial streets and residential lanes.

Bangkok resident Narin Wernthaisong said the flooding was worse than anything he had seen during his years living in the city.

“In all the years I’ve lived here I’ve never seen flooding this bad,” said Wernthaisong, who was wading through thigh-high water.

With rain forecast to continue until late Sunday, the city remained under pressure from rising waters after days of sustained downpours.

Source: South China Morning Post