Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, with senior officials from the Drainage and Sewerage Department and the Chatuchak district office, inspected flooding on Ratchadapisek Road today (Saturday), which was under water early this morning.

He admitted that the torrential rain had not been forecast at the time he went to bed and the storm clouds arrived quickly from Chon Buri province, bringing rainfall averaging 140mm between 1am and about 3am.

By the time of his trip to Ratchadapisek Road at about 7am, he said level of the flood water had dropped by half, from about 40cm, after workers removed garbage from main drains.

Four water pump trucks were used to drain water from Ratchadapisek Road, into the Bang Sue and Prem Pracha canals, said the governor. At about 11am, flood water had been completely drained from the roads.

He also said that, in the future, more water pumps will be deployed to accelerate the draining of roads, if the rainfall exceeds 100mm.

Ratchadapisek Road, from Ratchayothin junction to Lat Phra intersection, was inundated, particularly in front of Chandrakasem Rajabhat University, the Export Promotion Department and the area opposite the Ratchadapisek Criminal Court, which was under as much as 60cm of water, stopping many cars and forcing others into the oncoming lane. A number of cars were seen parked on the flyover bridge.

The road parallel to Vibhavadi Rangsit highway, from the Thai Airways building to Sutthisan junction, became impassable to small cars.

Flood water had receded in some areas by about 5am. In Bangpu industrial estate, in Samut Prakan province, road access was impassable to small cars, with many workers having to wade through the flood water to report to work this morning.