City Hall steps up flood fight in eastern Bangkok

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is focusing its flood-control efforts on the eastern part of the capital for the rest of the day and has warned city residents of rain throughout Friday.

City Hall said flood-control work in Bangkok would concentrate on eastern districts as the water level in Prawet Burirom Canal had reached a critical stage after the capital was pounded by heavy rain.

Prawet Burirom Canal runs through Phra Khanong, Suan Luang, Prawet and Lat Krabang districts before entering Ban Pho district in Chachoengsao province.

The BMA has not issued red alerts in the four districts to warn residents living along the waterway of potential flooding, saying only that the canal’s situation was at the red level, meaning water could overflow its banks at any time.

Bangkok has been blanketed by rain since 2am, according to City Hall. Min Buri was the worst-affected district, with rainfall measured at 99 millimetres, it added.

The BMA alerted people in the city to continued rain in the afternoon, which could last into Friday night, but said the water level of the Chao Phraya River remained manageable.

Several roads in Greater Bangkok were flooded, with reports of traffic congestion in many locations, according to two traffic social media platforms, Jor Sor 100 and Traffic Police. Some canals were already inundated, including one in Bang Khen district.

“We have never been complacent. We keep a close eye on every weather forecast and prediction, and workers have been working at full speed to drain water from flooded locations,” Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said in a BMA Facebook post.

The Meteorological Department warned Greater Bangkok and several other provinces of heavy downpours on Friday. The other areas included Phetchabun, Nakhon Ratchasima, Kanchanaburi and Chon Buri.