Thailand has been experiencing severe floods for several weeks now. How is the situation at the moment?
Almost 60 of the country’s 76 provinces and nearly eight million people have been affected. Although the rains have stopped, water is flowing from the north to the south, inundating large areas and destroying homes, roads, farmlands and industrial compounds. Many businesses had to close down and I fear that after this natural disaster, Thailand will face an economic crisis.
The bulk of water is in the central provinces and in some areas it has risen up to three meters. People need boats or trucks to move around and to provide assistance to those in need. More than 300 people have died, mainly due to drowning and electric shocks. The provinces will stay inundated for at least one more month, some even longer.
How have the floods affected Bangkok?
Bangkok is located right at the southern spot where the water is flowing. So the water coming from the north flows into the Chaopraya river, which runs through the capital city. This means that eventually Bangkok will be flooded to the same extent as the other provinces, with water masses standing between one and three meters high.
The government is trying to divert the water west of the city, where there are suburbs, so a lot of people are being evacuated. But even with all these efforts, the water gradually creeps closer. People are building sand bag dykes and trying to irrigate the many canals into the sea. But most calculations say that more and more areas of Bangkok will become flooded – including our office. We will need to relocate our key staff to a city outside of Bangkok.
How are the floods affecting people?
The floods have destroyed houses, crops and livelihoods. In those areas that have been flooded for almost one month now, water and sanitation conditions are very poor and people have started to become sick with diarrhea and other diseases that come with dirty water. Many evacuation centers are crowded and ill-equipped, without enough supplies to assist people who have lost everything.
But those affected most are marginalized groups, such as migrant workers. There are around three million migrant workers in Thailand that live here either with or without documents, most of them coming from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. They isolate themselves from the Thai population through their language, uncertain status and fear of extortion. There is a real risk that they will be excluded from relief efforts.
Migrant workers who are staying in apartment buildings are isolated, many are lacking food, water and other basic supplies and some of them have no access to public health services. They cannot travel to their homelands because their travel documents are often kept by their employer. Many have lost their jobs and their means to support their families.
How is Raks Thai assisting the migrant workers?
Raks Thai will support almost 25,000 migrant workers, women and children in four provinces with food, clean water and essential relief items. We will organize and facilitate the transport of vulnerable people to emergency shelters and temporary accommodation. We plan to install water supply systems and implement sanitation and waste management systems.
Raks Thai Foundation was established in 1997 and became a member of CARE International in 2003. Learn more about CARE’s work in Thailand.
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