Floods inundate Bangkok as thousands shelter in evacuation centres

Bangkok, Thailand. Residents waded through waist-deep water in parts of the capital on Monday, while thousands sheltered in evacuation centres after weekend rains. Swelling reservoirs in an eastern province also prompted evacuations.

Flooding across Thailand

Entire Bangkok neighbourhoods were inundated and the city’s drainage network was overwhelmed after 320 mm (12.6 inches) of rain fell over two or three days last week—nearly as much as the low-lying capital usually receives in all of September.

Bangorn Dednuam, 60, said she went out during intermittent showers to look for food after supplies at home ran out. She said her household had not prepared or packed its belongings in time, leaving nothing stocked in the fridge.

Bangkok is among 41 Thai provinces affected by floods since September 16. The interior ministry said at least eight people had died and more than 580,000 homes had been disrupted.

Relief effort and economic impact

More than 80,000 residents in flooded areas cannot leave their homes, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Unsit Sampuntharat, said. Mobile kitchens and boats have been deployed, with the aim of providing residents three meals a day throughout the flooding and for at least seven days after the water recedes.

Nationwide economic damage could reach at least 11 billion baht ($327 million), with losses likely to rise unless conditions improve, said Aat Pisanwanich of Rangsit University’s economics department. He estimated that flooding could reduce annual GDP growth by 0.3 percentage points to 2.1% and third-quarter growth by about 0.5 percentage points to 1.7%.

Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, has lagged regional peers since the COVID-19 pandemic. Its economy grew 1.9% year-on-year in the second quarter, down sharply from 2.8% growth in the previous quarter.