Beyondheadlines Foreign Reporter
Thailand’s authorities warned the captal Bankkok would soon be flooded
and called a special five-day holiday to let people escape.The capital
is in danger from a combination of run-off water from the north and
high tides on the Chao Phraya river, which is at a record level at
certain points in the center. Thailand’s worst flooding in half a
century, caused by unusually heavy monsoon rain, has killed at least
373 people since mid-July and disrupted the lives of nearly 2.5
million, with more than 113,000 in shelters and 720,000 people seeking
medical attention.Late on Wednesday, the city’s governor said “massive
water” was on its way. The authorities have already warned that dikes
may not hold and the city of at least 12 million people could be
swamped.
“Now we’re at a critical moment, we need to monitor the situation
closely from 28-31 October, when many areas might be critical,”
Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra told reporters. “Massive water
is coming.”
Sukhumbhand said 90 percent of the northern Don Muang district was
under water and another, Bang Phlad in the west, was in a critical
situation. Fourteen city districts were threatened by floods and two
more could be hit on Thursday, he said.The economic damage is
difficult to quantify, but the central bank has revised its growth
forecast for southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy to 3.1 percent
this year and could cut it again on Friday.The floods are expected to
take their toll on Thailand’s tourism industry, which employs more
than 2 million people and makes up 6 percent of gross domestic
product.
Tourism Minister Chumphol Silpa-archa said arrivals could be 500,000
to 1 million below the government’s target of 19 million this year.
Crowded domestic check-in counters at Bangkok’s main Suvarnabhumi
airport was seen. Don Muang, the city’s old airport that is now used
for domestic flights, had to close because of flooding on Tuesday.
