Deputy Interior Minister Orders Urgent Bangkok Flood Drainage
Thailand's Deputy Interior Minister has ordered urgent acceleration of flood drainage across Bangkok, with additional pumps and equipment deployed to heavily affected districts like Ladkrabang to restore normal conditions as quickly as poss
Deputy Interior Minister Vorasit Leangprasert announced on September 29 that he has issued an emergency directive to all responsible agencies to accelerate the drainage of stagnant floodwater across Bangkok, with particular focus on critical zones such as Keha Rom Klao and Ladkrabang districts, where standing water continues to disrupt residents' lives. He instructed agencies to conduct detailed site-by-site assessments and constraints analysis, with orders to immediately dispatch additional water pumps and equipment to any location facing drainage delays, ensuring maximum drainage efficiency and rapid resolution of the crisis.
Vorasit stated that the Department of Local Administration has been ordered to coordinate with local government organizations nationwide to survey and mobilize available resources and equipment to support operations in Bangkok. Resources will be allocated according to the severity of hardship in each area, including high-clearance vehicles for transporting people and goods, mobile sanitation units for health and public services, large water pumps, and additional support trucks, with all resources moved to operational bases as quickly as possible.
"I want to emphasize that assistance to the public must not be concentrated in a single location, but support centers and coordination hubs must be distributed down to community and directly affected areas to ensure food, clean drinking water, and essential goods reach residents conveniently and comprehensively," Vorasit said. "These centers should also serve as complaint and request intake points, gathering field information and connecting with the 24-hour operations team to dispatch high-clearance vehicles, support teams, and necessary equipment to affected residents promptly."
Vorasit added that recovery planning has been assigned to relevant agencies to begin damage assessment surveys alongside urgent drainage operations. Once water levels recede, staff will be mobilized immediately for cleanup, garbage collection, sanitation, and disinfection of transportation routes and public areas to restore normal use as quickly as possible. Teams will also conduct rapid surveys of damage to homes and residents' property to feed information into government compensation and assistance processes without gaps, with findings used to develop long-term preventive measures.
"I encourage all dedicated officials and ask that you work with full effort, communicate closely with and reach out to the public. The Interior Ministry is prepared to integrate cooperation with all agencies and local government organizations nationwide to continue operations until the situation returns to complete normalcy, to alleviate suffering and restore good living conditions to our people with all our might," he said.
