On 26/9, a street in Bangkok, Thailand, was submerged in floodwaters following several days of heavy rain. Numerous vehicles, including buses and trucks, stalled and were abandoned on the roads.

Bangkok officials declared a disaster across the entire city after nearly 300 mm of rain fell in almost 48 hours, from the afternoon of 24/9 to the morning of 26/9, causing many areas to flood.

Residents navigated flooded streets in Bangkok, pushing their motorcycles along sidewalks. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt announced on the afternoon of 26/9 that the situation had stabilized, predicting floodwaters would recede completely within two to three days if no additional rain occurred.

"The current issue is that our drainage canals are at capacity", Chadchart stated. "We are coordinating with neighboring provinces, actively pumping water to other regions to minimize the influx into Bangkok".

Many drivers abandoned their vehicles on the road as floodwaters neared the hood. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reported that the city's pumping stations are operating at full capacity, achieving a total pumping capacity of about 1,200 m3 per second.

Residents walked through a street submerged in floodwaters after nearly 48 hours of continuous rain.

Bangkok, once known as the "Venice of the East", is built on former swampland, lying only about 1.5 m above sea level.

While September is typically Bangkok's peak rainy season, many residents described this particular rainfall as unusually severe.

"I have never witnessed continuous rain lasting for days like this in my many years here", said 63-year-old resident Anutin Meechamnan.

A man used a makeshift boat to navigate a flooded road in Bang Bua district, Bangkok.

"Water keeps pouring in, making it difficult to go out. The water has risen to my waist", stated Somkid Pheuk-ngam, a 67-year-old woman residing near a canal in the city's north. "I'm unable to leave and have had to close my shop for the past two days".

Some convenience stores in Bangkok reported empty shelves as residents rushed to purchase essential supplies.

Governor Chadchart urged residents not to panic or worry about potential food shortages, even though at least 13 main city roads were submerged.

Locals waded through a flooded area on Phetchaburi Road.

Chadchart reported that approximately 980 people are in temporary shelters. City officials also transported 36 bedridden patients to hospitals. The city has prepared one million sandbags to combat the flooding.

A pickup truck drove through a flooded street in Bangkok.

Statistics from the Bangkok Drainage and Wastewater Management Department reveal an unusually high rainfall for September, with 487 mm recorded from 1-25/9. This significantly surpasses the average rainfall of 269 mm for the same period in Bangkok between 1991-2020.

Nguyen Tien (Photos: AFP, Reuters, AP)