BANGKOK: Authorities in Thailand warned on Wednesday (Oct 5) of possible serious flooding in the capital and other parts of the central region from heavy seasonal rainfall expected through the rest of the week.
The situation is being worsened by a large volume of water moving downriver from flooding in northern provinces and from discharges from dams filled to capacity.
Bangkok has been experiencing flooding since Monday as torrential rain poured into the city, with about 16cm recorded in one area over 24 hours. However, the flooding had eased in most areas by Wednesday morning.
City officials said they are taking several measures to cope with the flooding, including placing sandbags along riverbanks, preparing water pumps at drainage tunnels, and having military trucks on standby to transport commuters.
Bangkok Deputy Governor Tawida Kamolvej said if rainfall levels are high in coming days, many areas will be vulnerable because it would take hours to drain water into the already swollen Chao Phraya River that runs through the city.
“If traveling to and from work will be difficult, we would ask companies and agencies to be flexible about working hours, or if possible, to consider working from home to help reduce traffic congestion,” Tawida said at a news conference.