Bangkok declared a state of disaster across all 50 districts after 48 hours of heavy rain flooded parts of the Thai capital. More than 84,000 people were affected, and rainfall exceeded 30cm in many areas, officials said. The governor said the situation had stabilised.
The declaration covers all 50 districts, though not all were flooded, and was intended to help authorities respond more quickly. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said pumping stations were running at full capacity. Close to 1,000 people had been evacuated to temporary shelters, and the city had prepared one million sandbags. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said draining the floodwater would take two to three days if the rain stopped; meteorologists forecast rain through Sunday.
Bangkok recorded 487mm of rain from Sept. 1 to 25, compared with an average of almost 269mm for the same period in 1991, the city's drainage and sewage department said. Flooding was reported in 21 provinces on Saturday, with one death, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. Air traffic control authorities said flights were operating normally, though some delays were possible.
