Bangkok Declares Disaster Amid Severe Flooding

A flood emergency has been declared across all 50 districts of Bangkok after 48 hours of heavy rain submerged roads and overwhelmed the Thai capital’s drainage system. Residents have been urged to stay home, while people living near canals have been advised to move belongings to higher floors. The flooding has disrupted traffic in a city already known for congestion, and further rain is forecast, prompting concerns that more canals may overflow. Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a 67-year-old resident near a canal north of central Bangkok, told AFP that water had reached waist level and made it difficult to leave home. She has had to close her shop for two days. Somkid said the water seemed worse than during Thailand’s 2011 nationwide floods, a three-month disaster in which hundreds of people died. No casualties have been reported in Bangkok during the current flooding. The Thai Meteorological Service has forecast more heavy rain through the week. The low-pressure area responsible for recent downpours is expected to move towards central Thailand. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said eastern areas had been hit hardest. He said authorities were pumping water out, but canals were already full, leaving people who live nearby at particular risk.

Authorities in Bangkok declared a disaster across all 50 districts on Saturday after several days of heavy rain caused severe flooding in Thailand’s capital. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the eastern parts of the city were hit hardest. By Saturday afternoon, he described the situation as “stabilized,” while cautioning that floodwater would take an estimated two to three days to drain if no further rain fell. Almost 300 millimeters (11.8 inches) of rain had fallen since Thursday afternoon, and more was forecast through Sunday. Chadchart said officials were pumping water out but that canals were already full. He urged people living near canals to move possessions to higher ground, and asked bedridden patients who rely on life-saving medical equipment to consider staying temporarily in hospital. City officials opened a shelter for evacuees. The article also reports that more than 84,000 people in 21 provinces nationwide had been affected by flooding, particularly in central Thailand. The country’s Meteorological Department warned that heavy rain would continue across much of Thailand, citing a strong low-pressure system over the central region and strengthening monsoon conditions. Residents described the disruption: local vendor Somkid Pheuk-ngam said water had reached waist level, making it difficult to leave her home and forcing her to close her shop for two days. Although she was accustomed to flooding, she said this episode seemed worse than the 2011 floods. Those floods killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes, a reminder of the potential severity of the current situation.

Bangkok has been declared a disaster-affected zone after torrential rain caused widespread flooding across the Thai capital. Nearly 300 millimetres of rain fell in 48 hours, leaving major roads underwater, submerging vehicles and forcing people to wade through water as high as their waists. Thailand’s weather agency forecast further thunderstorms. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt warned that the crisis posed a risk to lives and could damage public and private property, with conditions especially severe near canals. The Thai military said it would establish shelters and field kitchens to support relief efforts. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration designated schools as temporary accommodation and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel. Supermarkets filled with people stocking up on supplies. A teenage resident, Sansuk Laowatcharakul, said she was worried because she had not prepared food and had not previously faced such a situation alone. Another resident, Suppakarn Julavijitphong, said she had not considered relocating before an emergency warning was issued. On Saturday, the government advised people living near canals to move personal belongings to higher ground. Bangkok’s main airport continued operating normally, but the tourism authority recommended that travellers allow an additional two to three hours to pass through the hub. The article also notes that Thailand suffered its worst flooding in decades in November, when at least 145 people died and thousands of homes were damaged in southern provinces. The report was updated on September 26, 2026, at 11:32 a.m.