MP Visits Flood-Hit Rangsit, Demands Full Drainage Capacity
MP Nataphong Ruangpanyawut visited flood‑hit Rangsit in Pathum Thani and found many communities still submerged knee‑deep, with drainage operating at only 60 percent capacity. He delivered relief supplies and urged the government to improve the drainage system and coordinate floodgate management to achieve full effectiveness. Nataphong stressed that residents need clear answers on when water will recede and called for the prime minister to answer to parliament on the flood response.
Nataphong visited Rangsit and found many communities still flooded knee-deep, with small vehicles at risk of being unable to pass. He urged the government to fix the drainage system, noting it is operating at only 60 percent capacity while residents remain inundated daily. On October 2, 2026, Nataphong Ruangpanyawut, a list MP and leader of the People's Party, toured flood-affected areas in Rangsit, Pathum Thani, delivering rice, dry food, and essential medicine to affected residents. He reported that floodwaters in many alleys remain ankle‑ to knee‑deep, blocking motorcycles and posing risks to small cars, forcing locals to rely on pickup trucks and community help to move. He said the main canals remain high, preventing runoff from being drained quickly, causing water to linger in the system. Nataphong added that prior to his trip he had monitored eastern Bangkok and found similar issues, especially in deep alleys where water levels match those in the canals. At a September 30 meeting of the House Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, water management officials said the inner‑area drainage capacity is only about 60 percent, limiting swift water removal from Bangkok and Pathum Thani. He also pointed out that managing floodgates between zones is constrained by old agreements, and called for central authorities to coordinate and operate pumping and drainage simultaneously. Nataphong stressed that distributing food, water, and medicine remains necessary as long as water levels prevent normal life, but emergency aid alone is insufficient. Residents most want clear answers from the government on how much water can be drained and when it will recede. He criticized the prime minister for not appearing before parliament to explain the flood situation, noting that as head of government and an MP, the prime minister remains accountable to the legislature. Nataphong concluded that the core issue is not merely how many pumps agencies have, but how quickly the government can direct and synchronize the entire drainage system to operate at full capacity, because each day of lingering flood forces people to live with water outside their homes without knowing when relief will come.
