Bangkok under water after torrential rains, state of natural disaster declared

In Thailand, the capital is under water. After 48 hours of torrential rains which flooded homes, businesses and traffic routes, Bangkok authorities declared a state of natural disaster throughout the city on Saturday.

The situation is so alarming that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cut short a trip to London to return after nearly 300 millimeters of rain fell on the metropolis between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning. Flooding was also reported in 21 provinces across Thailand on Saturday, with one death, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

The situation is stabilizing

“The water keeps rising. It's hard to go out now. It reaches my waist,” describes Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a 67-year-old seller who is on the edge of a canal near the center. “I can't go anywhere. I closed my shop two days ago,” she adds, estimating that she has not seen such floods in the city for fifteen years. In 2011, major floods across Thailand killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has declared a state of natural disaster in all 50 districts of the city, a measure which gives special response powers to local organizations. The governor of Bangkok, Chadchart Sittipunt, however, announced on Saturday afternoon that the situation had “stabilized”. “If the rain stops, the water should clear out in two to three days.”

Many roads were flooded on Saturday, and residents were forced to walk in water sometimes reaching their knees, or even their thighs, in several neighborhoods. “I woke up to go to work and the street in front of my house was flooded,” says motorcyclist Samruay Nakkamnueng, in the Ari district. “I wondered if my bike would be able to cross that much water.”

A million sandbags

Bangkok authorities announced that they had prepared a million sandbags for distribution and opened several temporary shelters in schools. Water levels began to stabilize thanks to the city's pumping stations, which were operating at full capacity, pumping out some 1,200 cubic meters per second.

Once nicknamed the “Venice of the East,” Bangkok is built on ancient swamps and sits just 1.5 meters above sea level. “Our problem is that the canals are full,” said Governor Chadchart. Bangkok municipal authorities also announced the closure of schools on Monday and asked some civil servants to telework.

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September is the peak of the rainy season in Bangkok, but it has been wetter than usual. The capital recorded 487 mm of rain between the 1st and 25th of the month, compared to an average of almost 269 mm for the same period from 1991 to 2020.