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Bangkok: emergency continues with contaminated water and industrial zone at risk
by Weena Kowitwanij
The nationwide death toll tops 500 in Thailand’s “worst floods in 50 years”. One third of Bangkok’s districts are under evacuation order. PM Shinawatra urges “patience”. More flooding is expected between 10 and 15 November.
Bangkok (AsiaNews) – The emergency caused by the “worst floods in 50 years” continues. So far, more than 500 people have died since the start of the crisis in July.
In many parts of Bangkok, an alert warning remains in effect. Evacuation began again as floodwaters reach the sea.
Humanitarian organisations have expressed concerns over water contamination and the danger of a water crisis.
One third of the capital’s 50 districts remain under evacuation orders. More pumps have been installed to remove water but experts warn it will take two to three weeks before areas currently underwater see any significant drop.
Despite the critical situation, the Thai Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) said that levees around the city’s economic district have stood the test, preventing even worse consequences.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited flood-hit residents. She asked them to be patient because water levels would soon start to drop. However, the watch level has not dropped because more flooding is expected between 10 and 15 November.
After flowing around the capital’s protected area, floodwaters have begun invading the Bang Chan Industrial Estate, the oldest area of its kind in the city set up 40 years ago. More than 90 factories operating inside the zone employ more than 10,000 workers and generate business worth some 20 billion baht (US$ 650 million).