700,000 lives in Bangkok at risk from floods

Bangkok Post: The lives of about 700,000 people and 1.16 million buildings in Bangkok will be seriously affected by floods caused by more rainfall and rising sea levels as a result of climate change in the next 40 years, a study has found. The managing director of Phetchaburi-based Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Seeree Supratid, said yesterday the projections were based on a study his team had been conducting to determine the impact of global warming on the capital and its vicinity.

The study, which used statistics from 2008 as a basis, predicts that western Bangkok will be partly covered by water due to a rise in the sea level. The eastern part would be affected more often by flooding caused by increasing rainfall. It is believed the higher sea level could result in a sea surge as far as 1.8 kilometres inland. The water level in affected areas would vary depending on their distance from the shore.

Mr Seeree said as many as 700,000 people were expected to be affected. About 250,000 of these would be in Don Muang, Nong Chok, Bang Kho Laem and Yannawa districts, and the country's main business hubs of Silom and Sathon. The study team predicts 1.16 million buildings would be affected by floods of at least 10 centimetres in depth including 900,000 residential buildings….

A floating market in Bangkok, shot by Paolobon140, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication