Homes flooded, roads submerged: Bangkok declares disaster over heavy rains

Bangkok authorities declared a flood disaster across all 50 districts of the Thai capital on Saturday after almost 48 hours of heavy rain left homes, shops and roads submerged.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cut short a trip to London to return home as residents waded through deep floodwater.

Why has Bangkok declared a flood disaster?

Nearly continuous rain since Thursday afternoon swelled Bangkok's canal network, sending murky water into homes, restaurants, shops and alleyways across the city. Almost 300 millimeters of rain fell in under 48 hours, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration declared a disaster for all 50 districts, granting local authorities special emergency powers.

"The water keeps coming in. It's hard to go out now. It's like at my waist level now," said Somkid Pheuk-ngam, 67, a vendor who lives near a canal just north of central Bangkok. "I cannot go anywhere. I have been closing my shop for two days now," she told AFP.

Bangkok is no stranger to wet weather, and September is the peak of the rainy season, but several residents said this spell felt worse than usual. "I feel like in all the many years I've lived here, I've never encountered anything like this, where it rains continuously for days," said 63 year old resident Anutin Meechamnan.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Saturday afternoon that the situation had "stabilized," adding: "If more rainwater doesn't fall in the area, it will be solved." He said in an update broadcast on social media that if the rain stops, it is expected to take two to three days to drain the floodwater.

How is Bangkok coping with the canals and flooded homes?

Chadchart said the city's canals are full, so authorities are cooperating with nearby provinces to drain water out through other sides and minimize the amount flowing into Bangkok. Once dubbed the "Venice of the East," the city is built on former marshland and sits about 1.5 meters above sea level.

The BMA said the city's pumping stations were operating at full capacity, pumping around 1,200 cubic metres per second combined. AFP reporters saw residents wading or pushing motorcycles through high water in several districts of eastern Bangkok, while parked cars were partially submerged on one major road.

In Bang Bua district, one woman tried to salvage goods from her shop as floodwater reached her thighs. Khem Amnueilaph, an office worker in Suan Luang district, said the water in his neighbourhood was "higher than knee level." "My house is new so it was elevated, but some old houses nearby the water have already flooded," the 36 year old told AFP by telephone. He said he has food stocked for two to three days but may have to wade through floodwater for supplies later, adding: "I have no idea how to get to work on Monday."

How much rain has Bangkok recorded this month?

Some convenience stores had empty shelves by lunchtime as residents rushed to buy essentials. Chadchart said at least 13 major roads were flooded but urged residents not to worry about potential food shortages, stressing: "The public don't have to be panicked." Around 980 people were staying in temporary shelters, he said, while authorities had transferred 36 bedridden people to hospitals, and the city has prepared one million sandbags.

September has been wetter than usual, according to figures from Bangkok's drainage and sewage department. The capital recorded 487 mm of rain between September 1 and 25, compared with an average of almost 269 mm for the same period from 1991 to 2020. Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.

Flooding was also reported on Saturday across 21 provinces in Thailand, with one fatality, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, which said more rain was expected into Sunday. Widespread deluges across Thailand in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.