Major Roads Flooded in Bangkok as Governor Slams Clogged Drains

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Bangkok hit by heavy rains and flooding.
Bangkok hit by heavy rains and flooding (Photo: Twitter)

Heavy rains pummelled Bangkok yesterday evening, with water levels reaching up to 30 centimeters in some areas, flooding a number of communities.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt rode on the back of a motorbike taxi to assess the situation in various parts of the city.

He noted that garbage had clogged drains in several areas.

The Thaiger reports that at least five major roads in Bangkok were underwater due to the heavy rain. The downpour started at around 8 pm yesterday evening and rained heavily for several hours.

Roads clogged as a result of the rain included Rankamhaeng Road, Kaset Nawamin Road, Si Vara Road in the Ladprao area, and Phahon Yothin Road, some roads in the Sukhumvit area, and New Petchburi Road in the Asoke area.

Motorists walk their motorbikes through the rain and floodwaters (Photo: The Standard).

Motorists had to turn off their air conditioning, open windows, and drive slowly to avoid damage to vehicles.

Flooding was so severe in some areas that many motorists chose to abandon their vehicles and wait for the rain to stop.

 

Governor Chadchart said that some 3,000 kilometers of Bangkok need to be cleaned every year, and the cleaning bill would cost about THB 300 million.

Cleaning crew scoop garbage from drains in Bangkok.
A cleaning crew scoops up garbage from drains in Bangkok.

He recommended Bangkok should have more detention basins and develop a database to indicate the risk areas.

As the monsoon sets in, northern provinces in Laos have also been affected by floods and landslides, wiping out agricultural land and crops.

Floodwaters recently damaged production areas and houses in Xayaboury Province, causing damage worth hundreds of millions of kip.