Thailand: Tens of Thousands Devastated by Flooding

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Facts

  • Since Friday, the province of Narathiwat in Thailand's south has been inundated with heavy rainfall, resulting in severe flooding that has destroyed infrastructure, closed schools, and forced residents to shelter in their homes.1
  • The most significant impacts occurred in the Rueso district, which received 651mm (25.6 inches) of rain — the heaviest rainfall recorded in the region in over 10 years. In addition to the residential flooding, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency said that more than 14K hectares (34.6K acres) of land had been inundated, including agricultural land.2
  • The state railway company said that areas along the railway tracks had been submerged, resulting in the suspension of rail services south to the Malaysian border. Maritime transportation has also been impacted in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, where seven vessels have sunk as a result of the heavy rainfall.3
  • Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation's director-general Chaiwat Junthirapong said local offices are working to drain floodwaters, assess damage, and tally compensation for the impacted residents.4
  • On Tuesday, Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin toured the damaged area and pledged to support response and recovery efforts, as the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported that 20K homes have been displaced.2
  • Meanwhile, the state Meteorological Department has warned that additional rainfall is in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, with further flooding a possibility.2

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2The Sun, 3Hindustan Times and 4Bangkok Post.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Bangkok Post. As the planet warms, the climate risk to Thailand grows, as evidenced by the country's jump to ninth place in the ranking of countries impacted by extreme weather — up from 43rd place in 2011. No region has been spared the severe impacts, but Bangkok is the most vulnerable. Without significant investment in infrastructure by the government, Bangkok stands to lose its shoreline, which will reduce tourism and the country's economy.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Economist Intelligence Unit. Despite what critics say, the Thai government has improved its response to climate change. A recent surge in urgency has resulted in many policies that pledge to meet the most ambitious climate goals to date. The policy changes are expected to drive the economy in sustainable ways and will reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels — growing the nation's job outlook and reducing its environmental footprint.