All of Bangkok flooded: "Water reaches waist height"  

Felix Wilow 

Published 09:57 | Updated 10:56

Bangkok has 50 districts.

All of them are considered "disaster zones," reports the *Bangkok Post*.

"It is a very serious flooding situation," says meteorologist Lasse Rydqvist.

Thailand's capital is being hit by severe flooding. According to the *Bangkok Post*, all districts have been classified as disaster zones, and the city's governor has signed an order to expedite response measures.

The eastern parts of the city are the worst affected. On Saturday morning (local time), a message was sent to residents warning that water levels in the canals had reached "critical levels."

All canals full

Levels are also expected to rise further.

"Those living near canals are in at-risk areas. All canals are now full," Governor Chadchart Sittipunt writes in a statement.

He also urges residents to move their vehicles to higher ground.

Bangkok's public transport authority is offering free access to MRT "park-and-ride" facilities until October 2.

Bedridden patients receiving home care who rely on life-support medical equipment are advised to consider a temporary hospital stay.

"Continuing to pour in"

Almost 300 millimeters of rain have fallen since Thursday—an amount equivalent to six months' worth of rainfall in many parts of Sweden, according to Lasse Rydqvist, a meteorologist at Klart. Meanwhile, heavy rain is expected to continue throughout the weekend.

"An active low-pressure system is situated over the area while the monsoon intensifies," says Lasse Rydqvist.

"The critical factor, then, is not just the amount of rain that has already fallen, but the fact that more heavy rain is expected before the city can drain the water already present. This means the risk of flooding could escalate rapidly over the next 24 hours."

Images show store shelves stripped of goods.

"The water keeps pouring in. It’s difficult to get out now. It’s up to my waist," says Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a vendor living near a canal just north of central Bangkok, according to AFP.

September typically marks the peak of the rainy season in the area, but local authorities report unusually high rainfall this month. So far, 487 millimeters of rain have fallen in September, compared to an average of 269 millimeters between 1991 and 2020.