Two Bangkok industrial parks hold out against flood

Ploy Ten Kate in Reuters: Floodwater continued to surround two industrial estates in the east of Bangkok on Tuesday but defences were holding up, while Thailand's industry minister said the bulk of factories in flood-hit zones north of the capital could be back at work soon.

Seri Supharatid, director of Rangsit University's Center on Climate Change and Disaster, said the authorities had succeeded in stabilizing the water level at Bang Chan and Lat Krabang industrial estates in Bangkok and less water was now running down from provinces to its north.

"What we're seeing now is that the water level has become more stable. So, even though we can't say 100 percent, risks are clearly going down," Seri told Reuters. "If the estates manage to hold for seven more days, with water continuing to recede, there's a good chance that they may be safe."

The flooding in Thailand has claimed 562 lives since late July and swamped 891 factories in seven industrial estates north of the capital, disrupting the supply chains of many international companies, including Toyota Motor Corp, Sony Corp and Lenovo Group Ltd....