Oops! We didn’t expect Chao Phraya River to flood: Bangkok governor

People wade through floodwaters at the Siphraya Pier in Bangkok. Photo: Bang Rak District Office / Facebook
People wade through floodwaters at the Siphraya Pier in Bangkok. Photo: Bang Rak District Office / Facebook

Bangkok’s governor said he was sorry that water levels surged higher than expected after several parts of the capital were deluged by flash floods. 

After the Chao Phraya River overflowed yesterday in many parts of Bangkok, including downtown-adjacent districts of Yannawa, Bang Rak and Taling Chan, Gov. Aswin Kwanmuang apologized for undercalculating water levels and a lack of efficient measures to protect communities and motorists affected by the sudden deluge. 

“The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration must apologize for the overflows in areas next to the Chao Phraya River, which affected people’s everyday lives,” he said. “Officials are monitoring the situation and have placed sandbags in risk areas to cope with the high tide.”

The central flood plain is a giant funnel that empties in the capital, and flooding is as seasonal as smog or mass road casualties – as are redundant apologies from chief executives.

And outrage from residents, who flooded Twitter with their frustration and anger with hashtag #flood.

“8 years that the Thai dictator has robbed the democracy, the quality of life in #Thailand has plunged to the new low,” tweeted user Ny_avengers. “Floods are everywhere in #Bangkok today & has brought the traffic to a halt.”



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