Hours of widespread downpours, the heaviest in 20 years, left many parts of the city grappling with floods that continued from Tuesday evening until early Wednesday morning.
Some of the heaviest rain to have fallen on Bangkok in two decades began on Tuesday evening and has overwhelmed the capital’s main canals.
Bang Khen district, for instance, reported 170 millimetres of precipitation since Tuesday — the highest in 20 years.
As a result, water levels along Klong Lat Phrao and Klong Prem Prachakon, the district’s main drainage canals, have also risen, causing floods in certain areas.
Some of the most affected locations include the Bang Khen roundabout and areas surrounding the tracks of a new electric train route, which governor Chadchart Sittipunt said was partly to blame for slow drainage.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) are doing the best they can to drain the flood water off the city’s streets, said the governor.
Mr Chadchart urged motorists to keep an eye on the weather forecasts, as well as flood reports and traffic conditions.
“Insufficient planning has resulted in many motorists getting stranded in flooded areas,” he said.
“With so many cars stuck in these areas, even military trucks deployed to help flood victims couldn’t reach them in time.
At least 17 locations in Bangkok were flooded from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning, according to the BMA’s flood control and mitigation centre. On Tuesday night, floods paralysed traffic in certain parts of the city.
The governor said the department let the BMA use 21 of its water pumps to drain water from heavily flooded areas. Residents living in Bang Khen, Lat Phrao, Don Muang, and Chatuchak are advised to remain vigilant as even more heavy rain is on the way
