Bangkok underwater: All 50 districts now flood disaster zones as 300mm rain fills canals, submerges roads

Bangkok has declared a flood disaster following 48 hours of torrential rain that left the city inundated, with 300 millimeters of rainfall causing widespread flooding in canals, roads, and residential areas.

Governor Chadchart Sittipunt advised residents to stay home while Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul returned early from a London trip due to the crisis.

Temporary shelters have been set up for around 980 people, while local authorities are working at full capacity to drain the water and clear debris.

The flooding is notably severe compared to past incidents, attributed to the effects of climate change increasing the intensity of extreme weather events.

BANGKOK, Sept 26 — Bangkok authorities declared a flood disaster across the Thai capital on Saturday after almost 48 hours of heavy rain left canals full, roads submerged and residents wading through deep water.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged people to stay home after almost 300 millimetres (11.8 inches) of rain fell, while Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he was cutting short a trip to London to return.

“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, adding that while she often gets flooded, “I think this time is worse than the 2011 flood.”

Widespread deluges across Thailand in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.

Chadchart said mid-afternoon on Saturday 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 2-3 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.

Chadchart said at least 13 roads were also flooded, and AFP reporters saw residents in several different neighbourhoods forced to wade through high waters.

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

But the governor urged residents not to worry about potential food shortages caused by blocked roads, stressing: “The public don’t have to be panicked.”

Chadchart revealed that around 980 people were staying in temporary shelters, while authorities had transferred 36 bed-ridden people to hospitals.

“I woke up to go to work and the street in front of my house was flooded,” said motorbike rider Samruay Nakkamnueng in the Ari neighbourhood.

“I worried if my motorbike would be able to wade through this much floodwater.”

In the On Nut neighbourhood, an AFP reporter saw locals filling sandbags to take home to protect their homes and businesses.

The flooding was worst in the east of the city and along the canals, and Chadchart urged residents to move their belongings to higher ground.

“Our problem is that the canals are full,” Chadchart said in his afternoon update.

“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”, the city is built on former marshland and rests about 1.5 metres (five feet) above sea level.

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

Municipal workers were also busy on Saturday trying to keep the roads clear.

“Our job is to make sure rubbish along the road doesn’t block the drains, so the water can drain away quickly,” said Kwan Nobnom, one of a group wearing bright orange raincoats.

“We thought this year would be dry, so we didn’t expect the flooding to be this bad.”

September is the peak of the rainy season in Bangkok but it has been wetter than usual, according to figures from the drainage and sewage 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 1991-2020.

Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned of low pressure across eastern, northeastern and central Thailand until Sunday. — AFP

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曼谷在经历了 48 小时的暴雨后宣布进入洪灾状态，这场暴雨导致城市被淹，300 毫米的降雨量造成运河、道路和居民区大面积积水。

由于危机，总理阿努廷·查恩维拉库尔提前结束了伦敦之行，而省长查查特·西提蓬特则建议居民待在家中。

目前已为约 980 人设立了临时住所，地方当局正在全力以赴地排水和清理瓦砾。

与以往的洪灾相比，此次洪灾尤为严重，这归因于气候变化加剧了极端天气事件的强度。

曼谷，9月26日——周六，曼谷当局宣布泰国首都发生洪灾。此前，近48小时的暴雨导致运河满溢，道路被淹没，居民不得不趟过深水。

曼谷市长查查·西提蓬在降雨量接近 300 毫米（11.8 英寸）后敦促民众待在家中，而总理阿努廷·查恩维拉库尔表示，他将缩短伦敦之行返回泰国。

“水一直往里涌。现在出门很困难。水都到我腰部了。”67岁的颂吉·普克-恩甘说道，他是一名小贩，住在曼谷市中心北部的一条运河附近。

“我哪儿也去不了。我的店已经关了两天了，”她告诉法新社，并补充说，虽然她经常遭遇洪水，“但我认为这次比2011年的洪水还要严重。”

2011年泰国各地发生大范围洪灾，造成500多人死亡，数百万房屋受损。

查德查特周六下午表示，情况已经“稳定下来”，并补充说：“如果该地区不再下雨，问题就能得到解决。”

“如果雨停了，预计需要 2-3 天才能排干洪水，”他在社交媒体上发布的最新消息中说。

自周四下午以来，几乎持续不断的降雨导致曼谷的运河水位暴涨，浑浊的河水涌入周围的房屋、餐馆、商店和小巷。

查德查特表示，至少有 13 条道路被洪水淹没，法新社记者看到几个不同社区的居民被迫趟过洪水。

曼谷市政府宣布全市 50 个区进入灾难状态，此举赋予地方组织特殊的行动权力。

但州长敦促居民不要担心道路阻塞可能导致的食品短缺，并强调：“公众不必恐慌。”

查德查特透露，约有980人居住在临时避难所，而当局已将36名卧床不起的人转移到医院。

“我早上起来准备去上班，发现我家门前的街道被淹了，”阿里社区的摩托车骑手萨姆鲁艾·纳卡姆努恩说道。

“我担心我的摩托车能不能趟过这么深的洪水。”

在安努特社区，法新社记者看到当地居民正在装填沙袋，准备带回家保护他们的房屋和企业。

城市东部和运河沿岸的洪水最为严重，查查特敦促居民将财物转移到地势较高的地方。

“我们的问题是运河都满了，”查德查特在下午的新闻发布会上说。

“我们正在与邻近省份合作，尝试从其他方向排水，尽量减少流入曼谷的水量。”

这座城市曾被称为“东方威尼斯”，建在以前的沼泽地上，海拔约 1.5 米（5 英尺）。

曼谷市政府早前表示，该市的抽水站已满负荷运转，总抽水量约为每秒 1200 立方米。

周六，市政工作人员也忙着清理道路。

“我们的工作是确保道路沿线的垃圾不会堵塞排水沟，以便水能迅速排出，”身穿亮橙色雨衣的一群人中的 Kwan Nobnom 说。

“我们原本以为今年会比较干燥，所以没想到洪水会这么严重。”

9 月是曼谷雨季的高峰期，但根据排水和污水处理部门的数据，今年的降雨量比往年要多。

9 月 1 日至 25 日期间，首都记录到 487 毫米的降雨量，而 1991 年至 2020 年同期平均降雨量接近 269 毫米。

科学家警告说，随着化石燃料排放导致地球持续变暖，极端天气事件的强度和频率将会增加。

泰国防灾减灾厅警告称，泰国东部、东北部和中部地区将持续低气压，直至周日。——法新社

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