Bangkok authorities have warned that more rain will hit the capital after several districts in the north and east were left under water by a record downpour.
While clear skies were seen over the city on Sunday morning, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) posted a message warning that dark clouds would return and rain was expected to cover the capital again after 7:00 p.m. onwards.
The alert came after the northern and eastern districts and Rangsit Arwa in the Muang district of Pathum Thani were hit by heavy rain. Earlier last week, Bangkok’s main canals overflowed after the heaviest rains in two decades hit the city.
According to official reports, Bang Khen, Don Muang, and Lak Si districts in the northern region and Suan Luang and Lat Krabang districts in the east have remained submerged after incessant rainfall began to hit Bangkok last Monday.
Lat Krabang was one of the worst hit areas after the rains intensified from late afternoon to late Saturday night.
On Sunday, Bangkok’s governor Chadchart Aittipunt said the situation had improved in many districts, but Lat Krabang “still has a problem.”
“We are speeding up draining floodwater from inundated districts to canals,” the governor added.
In response to the flooding situation, the Bang Khen district office warned motorists to stay away from the Bang Khen roundabout and some sections of Phahon Yothin and Ram Intra roads that remained covered in water.
The non-profit volunteer group Samai Survive said several vehicles remained parked on an elevated highway and roads in the Rangsit area of Muang district in Pathum Thani as owners wanted to prevent their cars from flooding.
The scenes have reminded people of the great 2011 flood that left Greater Bangkok and other provinces submerged under a massive level of water.
In Rangsit township, authorities warned motorists to beware of flooding on Road 305 and asked drivers to avoid U-turns under bridges due to high water levels.
People living along the canal were advised to move their belongings to higher ground as water levels keep rising and could reach critical levels at any time.
Meanwhile, industry leaders are keeping an eye out for possible heavier rains, fearing the flooding could deal another blow to the already fragile economy.
However, caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has ensured that the 2011 flooding tragedy will not be repeated.
