Flooding engulfs all of Bangkok, state of disaster declared in 50 districts

After intense rainfall caused widespread flooding, Bangkok authorities declared a state of disaster in all 50 districts of Thailand’s capital.

The decision was taken after around 300 millimeters of rain was recorded in the city since Thursday. According to Bangkok Governor Sangchart Sittiphun, declaring a state of disaster gives local authorities the opportunity to take emergency measures.

“The water level has not stopped rising. It is now difficult to go outside. The water has reached my waist,” Somkind Pheu-ngam, a 67-year-old man who sells goods near the city center, told AFP.

He said he had been unable to leave his home for two days. “I can’t go anywhere. I have been trapped for two days,” Pheu-ngam said, adding that he had not experienced such a situation in Bangkok for 15 years.

The uninterrupted rainfall, which began on Thursday afternoon, has covered roads with water and significantly raised the levels of the city’s canals. Floodwaters have also entered numerous buildings built near them.

The governor said Bangkok’s eastern areas had been hit hardest by the flooding.

“The rain continues and we are doing everything we can. We are trying to drain the water, but the canals are full,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the governor urged patients receiving treatment at home who need vital medical supplies to consider being admitted to hospital and staying there temporarily.

The 2011 floods across Thailand caused more than 500 deaths and damaged millions of homes.