Bangkok Governor: No Crisis as Heavy Rain Expected
Bangkok's governor says the city is prepared for heavy rain expected September 23-27, with survey teams inspecting flood-prone areas and drain-clearing teams on standby to prevent waterlogging.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on September 23 at the Ao Uea Ao Leang Building in Bang Rak District that he is closely tracking the rainfall situation and preparing the city's response. The Meteorological Department has warned of heavy to very heavy rain across multiple areas, including Bangkok, between September 23-27. Survey teams have been deployed since last week to inspect recurring flood hotspots such as Sena Nikhom Soi 1 and Ram Intra Soi 5, as well as Khlong Lat Phrao, which experienced problems the previous week. Chadchart said he has ordered all units to prepare, with particular focus on clearing garbage blocking drains, as debris blocked drains during previous heavy rains. The city's sanitation teams across all districts have been readied for this task. Regarding water flowing from the north, current volumes remain low at 1,500 cubic meters per second, which is not considered critical. However, the governor has ordered continuous monitoring of riverside communities. Addressing online concerns about potential waterlogging in multiple districts, Chadchart said the city continuously monitors weather forecasts. Whether flooding occurs depends on wind conditions as well. Bangkok has made maximum preparations and has given standing orders to respond to any reports of problems. Daily and weekly weather forecasts currently show no warning signals of a critical situation with heavy rain. Regarding the Meteorological Department's forecast of up to 120 millimeters of rain in Bangkok, combined with potential northern water flows, Chadchart said these must be handled separately. Northern water requires careful management to prevent breaching flood barriers, while rainwater within the city requires proper drainage management and clearing of blockages in drainage pipes. The timing of rainfall in Bangkok and water releases from the Irrigation Department are unlikely to coincide, as Bangkok is not currently opening its flood gates but instead using pumps to push water across barriers into the Chao Phraya River. The governor believes there will be no critical-level crisis with water levels in the Chao Phraya River breaching the flood barriers.
