Authorities in Bangkok have declared a flood disaster across Thailand’s capital after almost 48 hours of heavy rain caused widespread flooding, submerged roads and sent water spilling from overflowing canals.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged residents to remain at home after the city received almost 300 millimetres of rainfall. At least 13 roads were flooded, while residents in several neighbourhoods were forced to wade through deep water.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration declared a disaster across all 50 districts, giving local authorities additional powers to respond to the flooding.
Around 980 people were staying in temporary shelters, while 36 bedridden patients were transferred to hospitals, according to authorities.
Chadchart said the situation had stabilised but warned that it could take between two and three days for floodwaters to drain if no further heavy rain falls.
The city’s pumping stations are operating at full capacity as municipal workers clear rubbish from roads and drainage systems to help water flow away from affected areas.
Bangkok recorded 487 millimetres of rain between 1 and 25 September, compared with an average of almost 269 millimetres during the same period between 1991 and 2020.
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has also warned of further rainfall in parts of the country as low pressure continues to affect eastern, northeastern and central Thailand.