Thai authorities warn of possible flooding in central region

BANGKOK : Authorities in Thailand warned on Wednesday of the possibility of serious flooding in the capital and other parts of the central region from heavy seasonal rainfall expected through the rest of the week. The situation is worsened because of a large volume of water flowing downriver from flooding in northern provinces and discharges from dams filled to capacity.

Bangkok has had flooding since Monday as torrential rain poured into the city, with about 16 cm recorded in one area over 24 hours. The flooding had dwindled in most areas by Wednesday morning.

The city officials said they are taking several measures to cope with the flooding, including placing sandbags along riverbanks, preparing water pumps at drainage tunnels, and having military trucks on standby to transport commuters.

If rainfall levels are high in the near future, many areas will be vulnerable because it would take hours to drain water into the already swollen Chao Phraya River that runs through the city, according to Bangkok Deputy Governor Tawida Kamolvej.

If traveling to and from work is difficult, we would ask companies and agencies to be flexible about working from home to help reduce traffic congestion, Tawida said at a news conference.