Wake me up when September floods: Deluge fills Bangkok’s roads, unfinished parliament

The intersection below BTS Samrong was flooded Tuesday morning. Photo: @Platoofoto / Twitter
The intersection below BTS Samrong was flooded Tuesday morning. Photo: @Platoofoto / Twitter

Bangkok welcomed the new month with floods across the city courtesy of a torrential downpour that began before dawn. 

Twenty-one locations, from gated communities and roads to shopping malls and the eternally unfinished Parliament House were left swimming by 7am after roughly four hours of rain, according to city flood officials. Affected districts included Taling Chan, Bang Na, Bang Khae, Watthana and Din Daeng. In the hardest-hit areas, upward of 116.5 millimeters of rain were measured.

Most flooded areas had reportedly dried out by mid-morning. Still, morning commutes were an inevitable frenzy of chaos and #rain remained a trending topic as of noon.

“Left Min Buri at 8:30am and I’m still stuck at Ramintra Km.5 at 10:20am. This is record-breaking,” @Kotorocho wrote.

Twitterer @Aeh_suwanna found the way to Dao Khanong, that unobtainable destination for all motorists, even further out of reach.

“17 km./3 hours from Dao Khanong by express way to Ekkamai #Hell” @Aeh_suwanna wrote.

Username checked out for Fonnn_D, who summarized the human experience of a rainy Bangkok morning.

“When there is rain and I have to leave home, I feel like living life is 10-15% more tiring. Rain falls, water bounces off the ground, and I have to leave early because of traffic fear. Lots of things to carry too,” @Fonnn_D tweeted.

The long-overdue Parliament House (83.05% complete!) was delivered a setback when a malfunctioning drain filled hallways and meeting rooms with water on the ground floor of the THB12 billion (US$387 million) project. The damage was caught on tape. Workers are reportedly inspecting the damage.

Read more stories from Coconuts Bangkok here




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