"Nearly a Month's Worth of Rain Falls Over Weekend"...Bangkok Paralyzed in Many Areas

In Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, almost a month's worth of rain fell over the weekend, inundating roads and residences across the city. The government responded by closing public institutions and postponing the release of some economic indicators.

Reuters Yonhap News

According to Bloomberg News on the 28th, over 300mm of rain has fallen in Bangkok since the 25th. This amount is nearly equivalent to the city's average rainfall for the month of September, which is typically the wettest month of the year.

As the heavy rains persisted, Bangkok’s drainage system failed to cope with the deluge. Throughout the weekend, major roads were flooded, and some vehicles were submerged up to a significant portion of their body. As of now, no fatalities have been reported. However, in certain areas, flooding made it difficult for residents to even leave their homes to purchase food and daily necessities.

In response, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s administration designated September 28th and 29th as temporary holidays for government agencies in Bangkok and surrounding metropolitan areas, which have a combined population of over 10 million. The flooding has also impacted the government's economic indicator schedules; Thailand’s Ministry of Industry postponed the release of its Manufacturing Production Index. This index was recently updated to more accurately reflect high-growth sectors such as electronics, which are being boosted by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

Thanawat Phonwichai, President of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, projected that the economic damage caused by the heavy rains would mainly arise from household property losses, flood response costs, and reduced spending on travel and consumption. However, as floodwaters in affected areas are receding relatively quickly, he still expects Thailand’s economy to grow by 2.2-2.3% this year. Preliminary estimates from the university suggest that three days of heavy rain could lower the annual economic growth rate by 0.025 to 0.05 percentage points. In monetary terms, this equates to around 5 to 10 billion baht (approximately 202.3 billion to 404.6 billion won).

However, some analysts believe the economic damage to Bangkok could be even greater. Ath Pisarnwanich, an economist at Rangsit University, predicted that the floods could reduce Bangkok’s third-quarter economic output by 0.23%, as retail and financial services sectors are hit. He also estimated that flight cancellations and tourists changing their travel plans could cause up to 10 billion baht in losses for the tourism sector.

Rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue on the 28th. Thailand's Meteorological Department warned that additional heavy rainfall could persist in Bangkok and nearby areas, with continued flooding possible in some regions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.