Thailand’s prime minister says she is optimistic the country’s worst flooding in 50 years will mostly spare Bangkok, as some dykes overflowed but the capital’s defences otherwise held firm during critical high tides.
Waters were receding from many inundated areas of Thailand - leaving 381 people dead - but the misery remained for several communities still under water and feverish efforts to protect Bangkok continued as runoff water from the north pushed through on its way to the Gulf of Thailand.
Rescuers evacuated a heavily pregnant woman stranded in the swamped neighbourhood of Thonburi in the northern outskirts of the city.
The network of dykes defending against the city’s main Chao Phraya river broke down in at least two neighbourhoods as a record high tide pushed up from the gulf.
Water spilled into streets as city workers and troops rushed to shore up concrete walls with sandbags.
Prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra told residents of Bangkok to be “confident” as she headed into a government crisis meeting, saying there may be overflow into some areas but that it would not cause any great damage.
“We will recover soon,” she said.
Bangkok’s governor, Sukhumbhand Paribatra, said the Chao Phraya reached a record level of 2.53m early today, just above what he previously said were dyke heights of 2.5m.
However, the tides were expected to ease below critical levels after tomorrow, and officials have suggested that the flooding situation will improve after that.
Floodwaters have submerged entire towns across the country’s heartland and shuttered hundreds of factories over the last two months. In the past week, the waters have reached into outer neighbourhoods of the capital, while its central districts of skyscrapers, apartment towers and glitzy shopping centres have remained dry.
This weekend’s high tides were described as the greatest test of the capital’s flood defences, and many wary business owners hastily built temporary walls around their entrances.
While some of Bangkok remained untouched, areas along the city’s outskirts saw flooding spread. Seven of Bangkok’s 50 districts - all in the northern and western outskirts - are heavily inundated. Eight other districts have seen less serious flooding.
Thousands of Bangkok residents used a special five-day holiday to leave town, with some wary of confusing warnings regarding the flood threat and others concerned about sparse supplies in shops after weeks of panic buying and flood-related distribution problems.
The governor highlighted the threat to sanitation. He urged residents to create less rubbish, saying refuse collectors were having trouble reaching all areas of Bangkok.
AP