Bangkok is bracing for major flooding disaster

• Thai capital city of Bangkok and other areas issued new warning of potential severe flooding.
• So far, 7 people have died and 2 were missing in major floods that hit Thailand since Sunday.
• Bangkok governor acknowledged that the capital city is vulnerable to flooding from Chao Phraya.

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Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigations said today that seven people have died and two were missing since Sunday from flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Dianmu.

Thai disaster authorities announced that 197,795 households in 30 provinces, mostly in the north, northeast and central regions had been affected – a 56-percent increase over the 126,781 reported a day earlier. Heavy rains are still forecast for many areas.

Now, the capital city of Bangkok and other areas of central Thailand have been issued new warnings of potential severe flooding, even as disaster relief authorities said the threat was easing in 13 of 30 provinces elsewhere that had been lashed by seasonal monsoon rains.

The massive amounts of water flowing down the Chao Phraya from the north have overwhelmed dams and reservoirs, resulting in immediate warnings being issued to Bangkok and the provinces of Lopburi, Saraburi, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi.

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang acknowledged today that because the capital is on low-lying ground, it is vulnerable to flooding from the Chao Phraya, and cannot be drained quickly. Parts of the city were inundated in a major 2011 flood, fed primarily by water released from reservoirs in the north.

The governor listed measures the city is taking to cope with flooding, including preparing water pumps that connect to a large drainage tunnel.

While large dams and reservoirs in the north have so far been able to cope with this year’s rainfall, others closer to Bangkok have approached or exceeded their capacity this month and have had to discharge water.