Bangkok declares disaster after homes flooded, roads submerged by heavy rain

BANGKOK, Thailand — Bangkok authorities declared a flood disaster across the Thai capital on Saturday after almost 48 hours of heavy rain left homes, shops and roads waterlogged and residents wading through waist-deep water.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cut short a trip to London to return home after more than 300 millimetres (11.8 inches) of rain fell in some areas between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, according to officials.

"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 it 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.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) declared a disaster for all the city's 50 districts, a move that gives local organisations special powers to act.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Saturday afternoon that the situation had "stabilised", adding: "If more rainwater doesn't fall in the area, it will be solved."

"If the rain stops, it is expected that it will take two to three days to drain the floodwater," he said in an update broadcast on social media.

Almost continuous rain since Thursday afternoon has swelled Bangkok's network of canals, sending murky water into surrounding homes, restaurants, shops and alleyways.

"Our problem is that the canals are full," Chadchart said.

"We are cooperating with nearby provinces and try to drain water out through other sides, minimising the amount that flows into Bangkok."

Once dubbed the "Venice of the East", Bangkok is built on former marshland and rests about 1.5 metres (five feet) above sea level.

The BMA said earlier the city's pumping stations were operating at full capacity, drawing some 1,200 cubic metres per second combined.

AFP reporters saw residents wading or pushing their motorcycles through high waters 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 the floodwaters came up to her thighs.

Khem Amnueilaph, an office worker who lives in Suan Luang district in eastern Bangkok, said the water in his neighbourhood was "higher than knee level".

"My house is new so it was elevated, but some old houses near by the water have already flooded," the 36-year-old told AFP by telephone.

"I have food in my stock for two to three days, but I may have to wade through the floodwater for food later," he said, adding: "I have no idea how to get to work on Monday."

Some convenience stores had empty shelves by lunchtime as residents raced to buy essentials.

Chadchart said at least 13 major roads were flooded but urged residents not to worry potential food shortages, stressing: "The public don't have to be panicked."

He said around 980 people were staying in temporary shelters, while authorities had transferred 36 bedridden people to hospitals. The city has also prepared one million sandbags.

Despite hopes that the water will recede, Bangkok authorities said schools would close on Monday, while some officials have been asked to work from home.

September has been wetter than usual, according to figures from Bangkok's drainage and sewerage department.

The capital recorded 487 mm of rain between September 1 and 25, compared to an average of almost 269 mm for the same period from 1991 to 2020.

Scientists warn 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, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, with more rain expected on Sunday.

Widespread deluges across the Southeast Asian country in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.

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