Disaster zone declared across Bangkok as heavy rain triggers flooding

Bangkok authorities have declared a disaster zone across all 50 districts of Thailand’s capital after three consecutive days of rainfall caused heavy flooding.

The disaster designation, which gives local organisations authority to take action, came on Saturday after Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said almost 300mm (11.8 inches) of rain had fallen since Thursday afternoon.

The nonstop rain inundated roads and canals with water, sending water into many homes and stores alongside them, according to reports. Photos and videos showed major roads submerged and cars abandoned after drivers were unable to move through the rising water.

Chadchart said the east of the city was most impacted and warned that more rain was forecast again on Saturday. He added that flooding should recede once the rain subsides, as city officials work to drain floodwaters as quickly as possible.

“The rain keeps falling and we are doing our best. We are trying to pump the water out, but the water in canals are full,” he said on social media. “The risk areas are those who live near canals. Every canal is now filled.”

Later on Saturday, the government said the flooding situation had “stabilised” but added it would still take two or three days for the water to drain, as long as the rain held off. “If more rainwater doesn’t fall in the area, it will be solved,” he said.

Chadchart also advised residents to move their cars to higher ground, as Bangkok’s public transport authority offered free access to MRT train “park and ride” carparks to store their vehicles until October 2.

Reporting from a flooded street in Bangkok, Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng said the Thai capital is no stranger to heavy rain during the monsoon season, but the continuous rainfall had locals worried.

“What usually happens is we get heavy downpours for a couple of hours, then you’ll see the street often flooded but it would flow away into the drains quickly, and it would only happen in isolated areas too,” he said.

“What’s happening here is … happening all across the city. This is not a flash flood; this is persistent heavy rain since Thursday evening, and it shows no sign of letting up.”

Somkid Pheuk-ngam, 67, a vendor who lives near a canal just north of central Bangkok, said she had to close her shop for two days.

“The water keeps coming in. It’s hard to go out now. It’s at my waist level,” she told the AFP news agency. “I cannot go anywhere,” she said, adding that this was “worse than the 2011 flood.”

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

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has warned of low pressure across eastern, northeastern and central Thailand until Sunday, saying there was a risk of flash floods, forest runoff, mudslides and river overflow.