National crisis
October 20, 2011
As the floodwaters inched closer to Bangkok on Thursday, the authorities said that the capital was not in crisis and there was no need to declare more at-risk zones than the seven announced earlier this week.
Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said that the city center would remain dry even if the floods were expected to hit northern and eastern Bangkok late on Friday.
The governor said people in the seven at-risk zones should move their belongings to higher ground in case the waters overflowed temporary dykes. The water is expected to put a huge strain on Bangkok's flood defenses.
Bangkok has an extensive drainage system including 200 floodgates, 158 pump stations, seven giant underground tunnels and 1,682 canals covering 2,604 kilometers, according to the city authorities.
Meanwhile, at an emergency meeting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that she would ask the Bangkok authorities to open all gates to "trigger an overflow in order to drain water into the sea as soon as possible. The longer we block the water the higher it gets."
Over 40 of Thailand's 78 provinces have been affected by the floods and over 320 people have died in three months of heavy monsoon rains. Tens of thousands have had to seek refuge in temporary shelters.
Author: Anne Thomas (dpa, AFP)
Editor: Manasi Gopalakrishnan