BANGKOK — Thousands of residents sought shelter in evacuation centers across the Thai capital on Monday as parts of Bangkok remained inundated following intense rain over the weekend. Swelling reservoirs in the eastern province of Rayong prompted additional evacuation orders, affecting communities near a major industrial belt.
Flooding has gripped 41 provinces throughout Thailand since Sept. 16, killing at least eight people. More than 580,000 homes have been disrupted nationwide, according to the interior ministry.
Bangkok received 320 millimeters (12.6 inches) of rain over two or three days last week—nearly matching the typical rainfall the low-lying city receives during the entire month of September. The deluge overwhelmed the drainage network and submerged entire neighborhoods.
Unsit Sampuntharat, permanent secretary of the interior ministry, said 80,000 residents in flooded areas are unable to leave their homes. The ministry is mobilizing mobile kitchens and boats to provide three meals daily to affected residents throughout the flooding period and for at least seven days after waters recede. Intermittent showers continued Monday.
At least 5,901 people in Bangkok have relocated to 234 designated evacuation centers, city officials confirmed. In hard-hit areas like Bang Kapi, residents waded through waist-deep water to access goods from vendors who adapted by setting up stalls with floating plastic containers.
The floods could inflict at least 11 billion baht ($327 million) in damage across the country, a figure likely to rise if conditions worsen. Aat Pisanwanich, an economist at Rangsit University, said the flooding is projected to reduce Thailand's GDP growth by 0.3 percentage points this year, bringing it to 2.1 percent. Third-quarter growth is expected to fall by approximately 0.5 percentage points to 1.7 percent.
Bangkok and the eastern region face the most significant impact, with wholesale and retail businesses particularly affected. Industry and agriculture are also expected to suffer losses in other areas.
Southeast Asia's second-largest economy has lagged regional peers since the COVID-19 pandemic. The economy expanded 1.9 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, down from 2.8 percent in the first quarter.
Bangkok, with a population exceeding 8.4 million, sits on a soft clay river delta only 1.5 meters (5 feet) above sea level. The city sinks by several millimeters annually and frequently contends with flooding during its six-month rainy season.
The current disaster echoes last year's catastrophic southern floods, when 630 millimeters (25 inches) of rain fell over three days. Those floods killed at least 145 people and inundated more than 33,000 homes.
