Bangkok flooding affects about 700,000 people as city races to drain canals

City officials say 329,000 households have been hit since more than 300 mm of rain fell. An emergency covers all 50 districts, and draining the worst-hit east could take about a week.

Developing By Jordan Hale · Staff Writer — World & Politics Asia / Thailand Published Sep 28, 2026, 5:03 PM PT Updated Sep 28, 2026, 5:03 PM PT

Flooding in Bangkok has affected about 329,000 households, or roughly 700,000 people, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said Monday, as the Thai capital pumped down overflowing canals after more than 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rain fell in parts of the city starting Thursday.

Governor Chadchart Sittipunt declared a flood emergency across all 50 districts on Saturday, although some were largely spared, the AP reported. The low-pressure system behind the downpours had moved away by Monday, but intermittent monsoon showers continued, including overnight totals of about 62 mm in Nong Chok and 55 mm in Lat Krabang, according to Anadolu Agency (opens in new tab).

Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej said Lat Krabang and Khan Na Yao districts each had 30,000 to 40,000 people affected and Bang Kapi about 20,000, with roughly 10,000 more in canal-side communities in Lak Si, Saphan Sung and Suan Luang, the Bangkok Post (opens in new tab) reported Monday. About 1,500 bedridden residents have been moved to city-run hospitals, according to the Bangkok Post (opens in new tab) and Anadolu, and city officials told the AP that nearly 7,000 people were staying in shelters. Tavida said the city needed hundreds of thousands of bottles of drinking water, along with mobile kitchens, high-clearance vehicles and small flat-bottomed boats to reach deeply flooded neighborhoods, the Post reported.

Deputy Governor Wisanu Subsompon said it would take about three days to effectively drain the main eastern canals, Saen Saep and Prawet Burirom, and about a week to clear deep flooding from communities in Lat Krabang, the Bangkok Post (opens in new tab) reported. Chadchart said neighborhood water would recede slowly because canal levels have to fall first.

Casualty reports vary. The BBC reported on Sunday that no casualties had been reported in Bangkok. On Monday the AP cited Thai media reports of two flood-related deaths in the city and at least 10 nationwide. Thailand’s Public Health Ministry said Monday that flooding across 23 provinces had killed 19 people, most of them by drowning or electrocution, and had affected 49 health facilities, 22 of which had suspended services. A ministry release on Sunday had put the number of flood-hit provinces at 22.

The government declared special holidays Monday and Tuesday for state offices, and the air force sent 69 personnel to Suvarnabhumi Airport to help clear a luggage backlog caused largely by workers unable to reach their jobs, the AP reported. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul toured a flooded housing estate in Bang Kapi on Sunday night. Thailand’s weather agency forecast more heavy rain across much of the country, and floods also hit neighboring Myanmar and Cambodia.