From the Bangkok Post today.
Quote:
BMA prepares for flood in Bangkok
(BangkokPost.com) - Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said Wednesday the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration was preparing to handle flood in the capital resulting from storms that have been pelting down rain in the Central, East and South.
There are 11 risky points in Bangkok which stand a high chance of being flooded, he said. They include areas around Sukhumvit, Phatthanakan and Ngam Wong Wan Roads, where the BMA already had installed pumps.
The BMA cooperated with the Meteorological Department, who hope to issue weather forecasts three hours before heavy rainstorms. This which would better equip the BMA with information to prevent flash floods.
Mr Apirak asked people not to throw trash into canals and roads, to allow better runoff.
He also warned of the danger of illness, including denque haemorrhagic fever.
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People going to Thailand right now might want to think about bringing wellies as well as suntan lotion....no I am not really kidding, wading through floodwater in Bangkok is most unpleasant. Mr Apirak mentions one of my pet peeves...the fact that street food vendors block the drains because they treat them like handy rubbish chutes... glad someone in authority feels the same way. Every time it rains heavily the roads flood. He also mentions dengue fever which is a FAR more prevalent disease than malaria in Thailand and there's no prophylaxis except to try and not get bitten by mozzies too much. The mozzies will be hatching in force now the rains have started so remember to apply DEET repellents (widely available there).
The pic above was taken quite a while after that particular downpour ceased ... I waited till the pavements were no longer under 6 inches of water before venturing out. Mind you, the pavements in Bangkok are so full of obstacles (stairwells, street vendors, boiling cooking oil, concrete pillars etc) that you have to step onto the road at frequent intervals anyway. Cluttered pedestrian unfriendly pavements suffer from almost as much "traffic congestion" as the roads ... another of my pet peeves!