THAILAND: Thai officials close down Don Muang airport as floodwater reaches parts of Bangkok

Record ID: 795847

  • Title: THAILAND: Thai officials close down Don Muang airport as floodwater reaches parts of Bangkok
  • Date: 26th October 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF PEOPLE EVACUATING (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) 41 YEAR OLD BANGKOK RESIDENT, KHONGPAN JIRAWONGSAROJ, SAYING: "If they (government) let water flow from the beginning, there wouldn't have been a problem. Now they are blocking huge accumulation of water at the Bangkok border. I've checked water levels everyday, it is rising a lot and if the floodwall is damaged, it will be
  • Embargoed: 10th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand, Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: Disasters,Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA7CXFWH1HUSDLI6PKEXFCGNJ2K
  • Story Text: Thailand announced a five-day holiday on Tuesday (October 25) to give people the chance to escape floods closing in on Bangkok as authorities ordered the evacuation of a housing estate on the outskirts of the city after a protective wall gave way.
    Heavy rain late on Tuesday, the first in four days, could complicate an already precarious situation and more showers were forecast for Wednesday (October 26).
    Don Muang Airport, Bangkok's second biggest, closed late on Tuesday due to concerns that passengers and staff might have problems reaching the terminal. It is expected to reopen on Nov. 1.
    Airports of Thailand said the main Suvarnabhumi Airport, built on a snake-infested swamp, was not affected because it was on higher ground. However, Thai Airways International Pcl, which operates out of Suvarnabhumi, said it may reduce flights because of staffing concerns.
    Bangkok official raced to stack up sandbags, working against floodwater which had reached Don Muang airport.
    "We have to block the water to stop it from flooding this road. If more floodwater comes through it will cause even more damage," said Prapan Ngammook, from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
    Parts of Don Muang, Lak Si and Sai Mai districts in northern Bangkok have been under water since Saturday (October 22) and the flood crisis centre in Don Muang may have to relocate.
    The centre instructed residents of the Muang Ake housing estate in northern Bangkok to evacuate Tuesday after a flood protection wall in nearby Pathum Thani province was breached, adding to tension in the capital, where residents have fortified their homes and hoarded food and water.
    Khongpan Jirawongsaroj, 41 year-old Bangkok resident believed that the government should not block waterways as, saying it would results in greater difficulty if the embankment were to be damaged.
    "If they (government) let water flow from the beginning, there wouldn't have been a problem. Now they are blocking huge accumulation of water at the Bangkok border. I've checked water levels everyday, it is rising a lot and if the flood wall is damaged, it will be worse and we'll have more trouble," Khongpan said.
    The cabinet declared October 27-31 a holiday in Bangkok and 20 provinces affected by the country's worst flooding in 50 years as weekend high tides in the Gulf of Thailand could complicate efforts to divert water away from the low-lying capital.
    The floods have forced the closure of seven industrial estates in Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani provinces bordering Bangkok, causing billions of dollars of damage, disrupting supply chains for industry and putting about 650,000 people temporarily out of work.
    The floods have killed at least 366 people since mid-July and disrupted the lives of nearly 2.5 million, with more than 113,000 living in temporary shelters and 720,000 seeking medical attention.
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