23 people died due to 48 hours of torrential rain, 7 lakh people were affected in Bangkok and life was disrupted.

The South-East Asian country Thailand is currently facing one of the most serious natural disasters in its history. The torrential monsoon rains that have been continuing for more than 48 hours in various parts of the country have caused severe devastation. The situation has become so dire that a total of 29 provinces including the capital Bangkok have been hit by floods. The total death toll from floods across the country has risen to 23, with nearly 7 lakh people directly affected in the capital Bangkok alone, according to official data released by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) on Tuesday. Due to continuously rising water level, people’s problems are increasing continuously.

Due to continuous heavy rains in Thailand’s capital Bangkok for the last two days, many major areas of the city have been submerged. This period of torrential rains is not stopping, due to which the administration has had to officially declare a disaster in Bangkok. As a precautionary measure, all the schools in the city have been closed indefinitely. To take people to safer places, more than 230 relief camps (shelter homes) have been built across the capital, where about 7,000 displaced people are currently taking shelter.

According to official reports, four people have died in Bangkok, while the country’s coastal and eastern areas also suffered heavy damage. Samut Prakan province, located between Bangkok and the coast, recorded 8 deaths, and 6 people lost their lives in the eastern province of Sa Kaeo. Apart from this, many deaths have also been reported from Chanthaburi, south-east of Bangkok, and Ayutthaya and Saraburi provinces, north of the capital. There is a sea-like view on the roads, where cars and vehicles are seen completely submerged in water. Due to stoppage of transport system, life has completely derailed.

September is usually considered the rainiest month in Thailand, but local citizens and elders in Bangkok say this year’s floods are more devastating than in previous decades. It is noteworthy that Bangkok city was originally built on marshy land, with a huge network of canals spread around and inside it. Due to heavy rains, all these canals and rivers are flowing above their danger mark and their water has entered residential areas.

To reduce waterlogging, the pumping stations established by the administration have been working day and night to draw water with their full capacity for the last several days. Despite this, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt had clarified while talking to the media on Sunday that it may take at least one more week to completely drain the flood water from the city and bring the situation back to normal. On the other hand, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which is considered the hub of international flights, there are long queues of passengers and flight operations have also been affected.

Environmental scientists and climate experts have warned that the global warming crisis is deepening due to rising global temperatures and excessive emissions of fossil fuels. As a result, there is a huge increase in the intensity, frequency and destructive potential of rainfall during the monsoon season. This current tragedy in Thailand has once again forced countries around the world to think about taking serious steps towards climate change. The government and relief agencies are working on a war footing to provide food, clean drinking water and medical aid to the affected areas.