Thai rescue personnel evacuate residents from a flooded area by boat. (PR Thai Government)
On September 29, Thailand’s government allocated more than 4 billion baht (about 121 million US dollars) in emergency funds to help people affected by flooding nationwide, while approving a major 160 billion baht (about 4.7 billion US dollars) project aimed at improving long-term water management.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the central budget would be used to provide assistance and compensation to flood-affected residents across the country. Local authorities will submit details of damage, needs and proposed assistance before funds are allocated.
The government’s response comes as flooding continues across 29 provinces and Bangkok, affecting about 940,300 households and 2.6 million people. Authorities have deployed personnel and emergency equipment to affected areas.
In Bangkok, 21 districts have declared their flood-related disaster situation over, while 29 districts remain affected. The government said it is continuing drainage operations and coordinating with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Royal Irrigation Department and the armed forces.
Emergency relief operations are also continuing as the government agencies are distributing food, drinking water, relief supplies and other essentials, including through mobile field kitchens. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) said six mobile kitchens were operating in Lat Krabang and could produce about 20,000 meals and 20,000 bottles of water a day.
Alongside the immediate response, the Cabinet approved the Chai Nat Pa Sak, Gulf of Thailand flood diversion canal, a project expected to cost more than 160 billion baht (about 4.7 billion US dollars) over eight years. The government said the project is designed to reduce flood-affected areas by about 3.48 million rai and cut annual flood damage by an estimated 16.93 billion baht.
The project will form part of a wider water-management system for central Thailand, with the government also accelerating the Bang Ban–Bang Sai drainage project to improve the movement of water through the central plains.
Thailand’s weather outlook remains uneven. The government said rainfall had begun to decrease in several areas, although heavy rain was still expected in parts of northern, central and eastern Thailand.
Thailand is pursuing a two-track response such as immediate financial and humanitarian support for flood-affected communities, alongside major investment in water-management infrastructure. The approach places greater emphasis on moving from emergency response towards longer-term flood resilience, while the effectiveness of the measures will depend on how quickly relief reaches affected communities and how the planned infrastructure is implemented.
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