Here’s a quick update as of 11 p.m. Bangkok time today, October 23, 2011:
Summary
- Yesterday the government said the floods could last six weeks, but today said things could improve by early next month. (See AP story below.)
- One news item reports that PM Yingluck says inner Bangkok is, indeed, at risk — and there are now questions about San Saeb canal, which runs through inner Bangkok, near Sukhumvit Rd. (See Bloomberg story below.)
See below for more on both of these items.
New photo
As many news reported have mentioned, some grocery stores in Bangkok have sold out of items like water, canned goods, instant noodles, etc.
Here’s a cell phone pic I snapped this afternoon at a shop in Silom. I think this aisle used to be stocked with baby food and diapers.
New map
Today’s Bangkok Post has a helpful map showing the parts of Bangkok that have been affected so far:
News reports
The AP reports:
The threat that floodwaters will inundate Thailand’s capital could ease by early November as record-high levels in the river carrying torrents of water downstream from the country’s north begin to decline, authorities said Sunday.
Bangkok’s immediate prospects remain uncertain, however, as the front lines in battling the flood draw tighter around the city daily.
The relatively rosy longer term projection from the Flood Relief Operations Center came just a day after reports that Bangkok’s main Chao Phraya river was overflowing its banks and at its highest levels in seven years.
Read the whole thing for some evocative stories about how folks are coping with the floods.
And Bloomberg says:
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Thailand’s worst flooding in 50 years may reach inner Bangkok, as a deluge from the north drains through the capital and threatens to overrun canals in the city center.
“Bangkokians will have some impact as water will flow through canals,” she told reporters today. “It is still unclear how long Bangkok people will be affected as there are many uncontrollable factors.”
Floodwaters throughout the capital may reach more than one meter (3.3 feet), she said in response to questions from reporters today. Yingluck expressed concern about water levels in Saen Saeb canal, which runs close to shopping centers such as Central World and Sukhumvit Road. The nation’s heaviest flooding in a half century has killed more than 300 people.
(All emphasis mine.)
Saen Saeb canal is used mainly for transportation and runs roughly east to west through Bangkok, next to the Jim Thompson House, the Central World shopping complex, and more.
More info on Saen Saeb can be found on its Wikipedia page.
Stay tuned for more.
The standard reminders: You can find past posts by clicking the Thailand flooding tag.
And you can follow me on Twitter for more: @Newley.