Thailand urges vigilance as flooding woes continue
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai officials warned residents in the capital to be vigilant and expect disruptions with electricity and tap water as the Asian nation battles its worst flooding in decades.
Central Bangkok avoided major flooding, but districts around it were covered in waist-deep water.
The danger was particularly pronounced at high tides. Several districts in Bangkok -- which barely sits above flood level -- are facing serious flooding, including one tied to a break in a flood barrier at Klong Mahasawat, according to the MCOT news agency.
The Thai government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide, and more than 113,000 people have sought refuge in them, including 10,000 in Bangkok, according to Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra.
Government authorities are preparing to evacuate more people all across the municipality.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Saturday that flood waters would likely reduce by the first week of November if relevant agencies control the drainage.
Government officials have made preparations to rehabilitate public, agricultural and industrial sectors, the news agency reported.
The prime minister urged stores not to stockpile consumer goods -- hoping this will address panic buying that residents said has led to a shortage of food and bottled water.
Thais have questioned whether resources may be dwindling, including whether electricity and tap water will be available to residents.
The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority announced that it reduced the amount of tap water processed for residents from 900,000 to 400,000 cubic meters per day.
The reason is high algae counts at one plant that are affecting the filtering process, the utility said in a statement.
But the prime minister assured residents Saturday tap water and electricity would be available, but with disruptions.
She said they are speeding up the process of draining water into Bangkok's canals and into the sea, expressing confidence that the situation would improve by Monday as long as there are no breaks in flood barriers.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health transferred 280 of the capital's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry, the news agency reported. Remaining patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces, it said.
The floods, caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers, have killed at least 373 people nationwide and affected more than 9.5 million people.
The government has called the flooding the worst in the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede.
Overall damage from the floods could exceed $6 billion, the Thai Finance Ministry has said.
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai officials warned residents in the capital to be vigilant and expect disruptions with electricity and tap water as the Asian nation battles its worst flooding in decades.
Central Bangkok avoided major flooding, but districts around it were covered in waist-deep water.
The danger was particularly pronounced at high tides. Several districts in Bangkok -- which barely sits above flood level -- are facing serious flooding, including one tied to a break in a flood barrier at Klong Mahasawat, according to the MCOT news agency.
The Thai government has set up more than 1,700 shelters nationwide, and more than 113,000 people have sought refuge in them, including 10,000 in Bangkok, according to Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra.
Government authorities are preparing to evacuate more people all across the municipality.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Saturday that flood waters would likely reduce by the first week of November if relevant agencies control the drainage.
Government officials have made preparations to rehabilitate public, agricultural and industrial sectors, the news agency reported.
The prime minister urged stores not to stockpile consumer goods -- hoping this will address panic buying that residents said has led to a shortage of food and bottled water.
Thais have questioned whether resources may be dwindling, including whether electricity and tap water will be available to residents.
The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority announced that it reduced the amount of tap water processed for residents from 900,000 to 400,000 cubic meters per day.
The reason is high algae counts at one plant that are affecting the filtering process, the utility said in a statement.
But the prime minister assured residents Saturday tap water and electricity would be available, but with disruptions.
She said they are speeding up the process of draining water into Bangkok's canals and into the sea, expressing confidence that the situation would improve by Monday as long as there are no breaks in flood barriers.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health transferred 280 of the capital's 520 patients in severe condition to 22 hospitals upcountry, the news agency reported. Remaining patients will be taken to hospitals in other provinces, it said.
The floods, caused by monsoon rains that saturated rivers, have killed at least 373 people nationwide and affected more than 9.5 million people.
The government has called the flooding the worst in the nation in half a century and said it might take more than a month before the waters recede.
Overall damage from the floods could exceed $6 billion, the Thai Finance Ministry has said.
