Thailand - Whole of Bangkok 'could flood today'

A Buddhist monk wading in advancing flood waters near Bangkok's Grand Palace in the city's historic centre yesterday. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday there was a '50-50' chance flood waters will penetrate Bangkok's central and inner zones.

The whole of Bangkok, including key tourist spots, could be flooded by today, as water continued to rise inexorably in several districts, fuelling panic buying across the capital.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday there was a '50-50' chance that flood waters will penetrate Bangkok's central and inner zones, as barriers might not be able to hold back water pouring in from the north.

But she maintained that "I am 50 per cent confident that the inner zone of Bangkok will not be completely flooded".

Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra was less sanguine, and warned that the whole of the city was liable to be flooded by today, as billions of cubic metres of backed-up water could push farther into the capital overnight.

The warnings came as districts in the north and several neighbourhoods on the swollen Chao Phraya River were increasingly swamped by flood waters.

While the inner city remained dry yesterday, parts - or all - of it could be similarly swamped, as rising tides and heavy rain are making it harder to drive water out to the sea.

Already, flood waters from the overflowing Chao Phraya River have appeared around the Grand Palace and encroached onto the open Sanam Luang grounds, an area the size of two football fields adjacent to the Grand Palace, the National Museum and Thammasat University.

Ms Yingluck has warned that parts of Bangkok could be flooded for up to a month, as the water could take two to four weeks to drain completely.

But she added: "The situation should not be as serious as in other provinces. We should not face water as high as 2m or 3m staying for two or three months, as we have seen in other provinces."

Separately, Dr Chaiyuth Sukhsri of Chulalongkorn University's Department of Water Resources Engineering said that not all the water in the north was going to pour through Bangkok. "Only some of it will," he said. "It is not like all of this huge amount of water is coming down."

Former Bangkok governor Bhichit Rattakul, now executive director of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre, also cautioned against doomsday scenarios, saying: "We can fight on (to defend Bangkok) without saying every district in the city will be flooded."

Panic buyers strip Bangkok shelves

The assurances failed to slow down the panic buying of food and water supplies, which has emptied shelves, driven up prices and forced some shops to impose rationing.

Vegetables in wet markets are now in short supply, as local supply chains have been disrupted by the flooding of roads and highways across much of the country. Some shortages resulted from mass buying of items to supply displaced and stranded communities.

Prices have shot up 10 per cent to 20 per cent for some items, despite government warnings against profiteering.

The authorities have relaxed import limits on food and beverages, sanitary items and water filters, in the hope that quick imports will replenish stocks.

"People have stocked up excessive supplies not only of eggs, but of everything," the president of an association of egg farmers, Mr Manoj Chootabtim, told the Bangkok Post.

"The government should calm the public down and assure them that there are enough essentials and food."

An adviser to the Thai Retailers Association said 40 per cent of goods have disappeared from markets.

Yesterday, no local drinking water could be found, aside from that sold in restaurants, cafes and a few stores in parts of Bangkok located far from the flood-stricken districts. The only water on sale was imported Evian which, at 66 baht (US$2.15) a litre, costs about three times as much as locally produced water.

About 30 out of 83 producers of drinking water in Thailand have been hit by floods, either directly or indirectly.

Store owner Sirikorn Bamrungchit, 30, said her supplies were running low.

"We still have some fresh water left, but not much," she said. "Instant noodles are 20 baht more expensive than before per box. We don't have any Coke because the company got flooded and deliveries stopped."

With flood waters threatening to stay in the capital for a month or so, experts have warned of an increasing risk of food and drinking water shortages due to the disruption of production and distribution. This could, in turn, raise the risk of water-related diseases such as dysentery and dengue.

Yesterday, bus stations and highways were also jammed as thousands of Bangkok residents rushed to flee the capital. Many more are still trying to leave their swamped neighbourhoods.

In some districts like Bang Phlad, which was flooded overnight by the overflowing Chao Phraya, some areas were already submerged up to 1m yesterday morning.

Muddy water eddied in and out of houses - mixed with garbage and sewage - as police and army personnel and civilian volunteers ferried residents out of the area in big trucks and boats.

Deep inside the narrow lanes of the poor neighbourhood of Charan Sanit Wong soi 85, a few hundred metres from the river, many locals took refuge in the local temple, which is on slightly higher ground.

Nirmal Ghosh

The Straits Times

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