Bangkok roads submerged as flood disaster declared — SkimNews
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- Bangkok declared a flood emergency disaster across all 50 of its districts after 48 hours of heavy rain inundated the city's drainage system and submerged roads.
- Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the east of the city had been hardest hit, noting every canal is now filled and crews are pumping water out as the rain continues.
- Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a 67-year-old shop owner living near a canal just north of central Bangkok, told AFP the water had reached waist level and she had closed her shop for two days.
- Thai Meteorological Service forecasts more heavy rain through the week, with the low-pressure system expected to shift toward central Thailand and rain continuing into Sunday.
- Residents near Bangkok's canal network have been advised to move belongings to upper floors amid fears more canals could burst their banks.
- No casualties have been reported in the current flooding, though one resident said water levels appeared worse than Thailand's devastating 2011 floods, which killed hundreds nationwide and lasted three months.
Why it matters: Bangkok's citywide emergency declaration across all 50 districts signals that the capital's drainage infrastructure cannot cope with current rainfall volumes, putting an estimated millions of canal-adjacent residents at risk as forecasters expect continued downpours into Sunday and the low-pressure system tracks toward central Thailand.
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