Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has declared Nong Chok, Suan Luang and Khan Na Yao flood disaster zones after severe inundation disrupted travel and access across parts of the capital. The declaration, signed on Saturday, covers 13 sub-districts and gives city agencies authority to mount full emergency relief operations, release assistance budgets and manage flood conditions within their legal powers.
The action followed flooding on Friday, when continuous rainfall affected roads and neighbourhoods in Bangkok. Water levels reached up to a meter on some sections of Viphavadi Rangsit and Phahonyothin roads, making them impassable, according to City Hall.
Chadchart chaired an emergency meeting of the Flood Situation Command Centre early this morning and instructed all 50 district offices to carry out urgent measures. City Hall is prepared to extend disaster-zone declarations to all 50 districts if conditions require it, though it has not set out a timetable for further designations.
District offices have been told to survey bedridden patients and other vulnerable groups immediately. Municipal schools are being prepared as primary emergency shelters, with food, water and sanitation facilities. City workers are reinforcing sandbag barriers at locations considered at high risk and clearing debris from drainage routes.
Authorities are also working with traffic police on road management and deploying utility transport for commuters stranded by flooding. The Bangkok Flood Prevention Centre has advised small-car users to avoid roads affected by current flooding. Areas identified as heavily affected include Sukhumvit Soi 63, Viphavadi Rangsit Road, Ramkhamhaeng Road and Chaeng Wattana Road near key intersections.
City Hall has asked residents whose property has been damaged to keep records for state compensation. The extent of damage in Bangkok, the number of people using shelters and the duration of the emergency declaration have not been specified.
The flooding reaches beyond the capital. As of 25 September, 11,796 households, or 37,036 people, had been affected in 12 provinces. The affected areas cover 38 districts, 143 sub-districts and 596 villages.
The provinces listed are Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Sing Buri, Suphan Buri, Saraburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Prachin Buri, Chachoengsao, Sa Kaeo, Trat and Surin. Heavy to very heavy rain in recent days, together with water flowing from the North into the Central Region, contributed to the flooding.
The Meteorological Department has issued a severe weather alert for Bangkok and surrounding provinces. It forecasts heavy to very heavy rain and warns of flash floods and river overflows, leaving city authorities to prepare for conditions that may require a wider emergency response.
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