Disaster zone declared in Bangkok as heavy rain triggers flooding | Weather news

Since Thursday, incessant rains have submerged roads and canals in the Thai capital, sending water into many homes and shops.

Authorities in Bangkok have declared all 50 districts of the Thai capital a disaster zone after three consecutive days of rain caused heavy flooding.

The disaster designation, which gives local organizations the authority to act, came Saturday after Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said nearly 300 mm (11.8 inches) of rain had fallen since Thursday afternoon.

The incessant rains flooded roads and canals, sending water into many nearby homes and shops, according to reports. Photos and videos showed main roads submerged and cars abandoned after drivers were unable to move through rising waters.

Chadchart said the east of the city was hardest hit and warned that more rain was forecast for Saturday. He added that flooding is expected to recede once the rains subside, as municipal authorities work to evacuate floodwaters as quickly as possible.

“The rain continues to fall and we are doing our best. We are trying to pump the water, but the canals are full,” he said on social media. “The areas at risk are those living near the canals. All the canals are now filled.”

Later on Saturday, the government said the flooding situation had “stabilized” but added that it would take another two or three days for the water to drain, as long as the rain stopped. “If more rainwater does not fall in the area, the problem will be solved,” he said.

Chadchart also advised residents to move their cars to higher ground as the Bangkok Public Transport Authority has offered free access to MRT train “park and ride” parking lots to store their vehicles until October 2.

Reporting from a flooded Bangkok street, Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng said the Thai capital is no stranger to heavy rain during the monsoon season, but the continued rainfall worries residents.

“What usually happens is we get heavy downpours for a few hours, and then you’ll see the street flooded a lot, but the water will quickly flow into the drains, and that will only happen in isolated areas as well,” he said.

“What’s happening here…is happening all over the city. This is not a flash flood; this is heavy, persistent rain since Thursday evening, and it shows no signs of letting up.”

Somkid Pheuk-ngam, 67, a seller who lives near a canal just north of central Bangkok, said she had to close her shop for two days.

“The water keeps coming in. It’s difficult to get out now. It’s at waist level,” she told the AFP news agency. “I can’t go anywhere,” she said, adding that it was “worse than the floods of 2011.”

In 2011, widespread flooding killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned of a depression in eastern, northeastern and central Thailand until Sunday, saying there was a risk of flash flooding, forest runoff, mudslides and overflowing rivers.