All 50 Bangkok districts declared disaster areas - Bangkok Post
Flooding at Mitr Samphan Intersection on Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok on Saturday. (Photo: Jetjaras Na Ranong) All 50 districts of Bangkok have been declared disaster zones as heavy rain continues to cause flooding, traffic problems and disruptions to daily life.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt signed the order on Saturday morning to expand the disaster designation beyond three districts covered earlier: Nong Chok, Suan Luang and Khan Na Yao.
The move allows the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, other state agencies and local administrations to respond more quickly and systematically in affected areas, according to the announcement.
It came as heavy rain continued to cause flooding and traffic problems in several parts of the capital, with eastern Bangkok among the hardest-hit areas.
A cell broadcast alert was sent to residents shortly after 9am, saying water levels in canals were already at critical levels and were expected to rise further.
According to the Meteorological Department, the main cause of the unsettled weather is a strong low-pressure system covering the lower Central Plains, Bangkok and surrounding provinces. The southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand is also strengthening.
Heavy rain is expected to continue until Sunday nationwide, the department said on Saturday morning.
Panic buying has already begun in some neighbourhoods as people race to stock up on essentials in case the flooding worsens.
Witnesses report a Makro store in Ram Inthra was packed, with the parking lot overflowing onto the street. People were stocking up on essentials, with instant noodles, drinking water and canned fish seen in every shopping cart. (Story continues below)
Shelves at a 7-Eleven store in the Pracha Chuen area of the capital on Saturday morning.
Flooding at the Mitr Samphan Intersection on Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok on Saturday. (Photo: Jetjaras Na Ranong)
Meanwhile, discharges from the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat province are gradually being increased to 1,950 cubic metres per second, up from 1,850 cu m/sec, according to the Royal Irrigation Department.
The increase began at 9am, with the discharge rate to rise by about 20 cu m/sec per hour until it reaches 1,950 cu m/sec at around 2pm. The rate will then be maintained at that level.
People living in low-lying areas along the Chao Phraya River, downstream of the dam and along the Noi River were urged to closely monitor water levels and official announcements and prepare for possible changes in the situation.
Flooding was reported in 20 provinces as of Saturday morning: Nakhon Ratchasima, Chanthaburi, Phetchabun, Chon Buri, Chachoengsao, Buri Ram, Surin, Sing Buri, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit, Rayong, Ang Thong, Chai Nat, Uthai Thani, Prachin Buri, Ayutthaya, Sa Kaeo, Phitsanulok, Suphan Buri and Nakhon Phanom.
