Torrential downpours have submerged roads, filled canals to the brim, and trapped residents across Bangkok, prompting Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to declare all 50 districts disaster zones on September 25, 2026.
Almost 300 millimetres (11.8 inches) of rain has fallen since Thursday afternoon, according to Governor Chadchart Sittipunt. The governor urged people to stay home as deluges continued to overwhelm drainage networks across the city, warning that more rain was forecast.
Residents Trapped by Rising Waters and Overflowing Canals
The city’s canal system swelled as a result of nearly nonstop precipitation starting Thursday afternoon, pushing muddy floodwaters into nearby alleys, shops, eateries, and residences. AFP journalists observed numerous key thoroughfares inundated on Saturday, while locals waded through water reaching their knees or even thighs across multiple districts. Footage from the capital depicts automobiles attempting to drive across completely flooded streets, with several vehicles appearing stranded.
Photo: trtworld.com
“The water keeps coming in. It’s hard to go out now. It’s like at my waist level now,” said Somkid Pheuk-ngam, 67, a vendor who lives near a canal just north of central Bangkok. “I cannot go anywhere. I have been closing my shop for two days now,” she told AFP
Somkid Pheuk-ngam added that while she often gets flooded, I think this time is worse than the 2011 flood. Widespread deluges across Thailand in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes. Commuters faced similar disruptions. Motorbike rider Samruay Nakkamnueng described waking up to flooded streets in the Ari neighborhood, stating, I woke up to go to work and the street in front of my house was flooded, and adding, I worried if my motorbike would be able to wade through this much floodwater.
Pumping Stations and Emergency Response Measures
An AFP correspondent observed residents within the On Nut district packing sandbags to carry back for the defense of their homes and commercial properties. Municipal officials stated they had readied one million sandbags for distribution alongside the establishment of multiple emergency centers within schools. District offices must organise staff and work with residents to fill and position sandbags wherever needed, while the Department of Drainage and Sewerage will coordinate supplies of sand and sandbags.
Drainage and sewage department figures show the capital recorded 487 millimeters of rain between September 1 and 25, far outstripping the 1991–2020 September average of nearly 269 millimeters. City drainage facilities subsequently helped water levels begin to level off by functioning at peak capacity to discharge a combined rate of approximately 1,200 cubic meters per second, according to the BMA. District offices must also clear rubbish and debris from drain inlets and drainage channels as floodwaters recede to help water flow.
Forecasts Point to Continued Low Pressure Risks
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned that low-pressure conditions would persist across central, eastern, and northeastern Thailand, bringing ongoing risks of river overflows, forest runoff, and mudslides. The eastern sector of the metropolis sustained the heaviest impact, noted Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, who also cautioned that additional precipitation remained in the forecast. The rain keeps falling and we are doing our best. We are trying to pump the water out, he said on social media on Saturday morning, noting that The risk areas are those who live near canals. Every canal is now filled.
Bangkok declares flood disaster across all 50 districts | Khaleej Times
If there is no additional rainfall, the situation is expected to improve within six hours, the BMA said in a lunchtime update. Sustained heavy precipitation subsequent to the Bangkok Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command Centre’s 25 September 2026 declaration designating Nong Chok, Suan Luang, and Khan Na Yao as disaster zones has brought about widespread inundation, disrupted traffic, and upended daily life across all 50 Bangkok districts, creating public hazards, threatening life and physical well-being, and inflicting harm on public and private assets in a manner that constitutes a disaster under the terms of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act 2007.
