News of Thailand’s catastrophic flooding has swept through international media, but there remains confusion among international readers regarding what is actually occurring in and outside of Bangkok.
The current flood disaster commenced when severe monsoons hit Thailand’s North and Northeastern provinces in late July. Floodwaters spread downwards towards central Thailand, where heavy rains added to the amount of runoff. Billions of cubic meters of runoff were channeled into the overflowing Chao Praya river throughout the months of August and September, flooding the country’s lowere central provinces and seeping downriver towards Bangkok. The provinces sitting along the northern edge of Bangkok – among them Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nothanburi – were hit as water from the north burst through floodgates and destroyed local farmland.
As of the 21th of October, water has now spread across the Rangsit plain just north of Bangkok, into the suburbs at the north of the city. The Thai government has now opted to open the floodgates in eastern Bangkok, in an attempt to divert the runoff towards seven districts of Eastern Bangkok and preserve the economic heart of the capital.
As Bangkok proper now braces itself for the inundation set to come, areas just outside the city are already completely devastated. The historical and industrial center of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, is covered with several meters of water, as are the provinces of Nakhon Sawan, Patum Thani, and Nothanburi. Nothanburi residents have parked hundreds of cars on overpasses and expressways as a means of protecting them from floodwaters, blocking traffic in and out of the city. Thousands of hectares of farmland in central Thailand have been destroyed by flooding, as have nearly a thousand industrial estates. Deaths from the flooding now number over 300.
While the city center remains free of floods, shelves in supermarkets on the eastern side of Bangkok have been stripped of non-perishable food, drinking water, tissue paper, and cooking oil. Certainly, city residents are becoming increasingly cynical of government insistence that the city heart itself is well protected and out of danger. Eastern Bangkok has already been sacrificed – what’s next?
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Hi from Guangzhou China.
Is there anything at this time that a female expat could do to help with the floods if they came down to Bangkok. In the aftermath of the Tsunami there was plenty for us to do but perhaps right now is too soon and when the waters recede it would be better .
Please advise. Shelley
Hello Shelly,
At present the situation in and around Bangkok is so chaotic that aid workers from outside Thailand might find themselves lost in the confusion and unable to find concrete ways of contributing. Following the recession of the water, there may indeed be better organization and solid opportunities for expats wishing to be of help, so we encourage you to stay tuned. For now, we urge concerned citizens from abroad to donate to the Thai Red Cross Society at http://english.redcross.or.th/home. Thank you for your very kind and empathetic question.
-The Thailawforum staff