Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt issued an apology on Saturday after an elderly flood victim was brought to tears when scolded by an official over difficulties with online relief registration.
Speaking at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), Chadchart said he had instructed all personnel to treat citizens courteously and ensure such incidents do not recur.
He acknowledged that complex registration steps pose hurdles for senior citizens and said shelter staff will assist those struggling with the online process.
To ease the burden on officials, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plans to recruit student volunteers to help residents complete the dual registration forms required for government aid and structural damage assessments.
Addressing flood drainage in Lat Krabang and Rom Klao, Chadchart said water levels fell around 10cm between Friday and Saturday morning, following the deployment of high-capacity ‘Naga’ water pumps.
Most of the area's 16 main pumping stations, which were previously crippled by floodwater, have now been restored to full operation.
He noted that pumps are throttled back at night to avoid noise disturbance, which slows drainage temporarily.
Additional pumps are being installed, though, and water levels are expected to fall more rapidly in the coming days.
Responding to forecasts of around 30mm of rainfall between October 4 and 10, the governor expressed confidence that the additional precipitation would not cause major setbacks as the rains are not expected to be prolonged.
Chadchart added that BMA teams have launched cleanup operations at Khlong Chan, while workers continue efforts to drain trapped floodwaters from hard-hit residential estates in Saphan Sung district, including the Muang Thong Garden and Phrukshachart villages.
Regarding criticisms over the BMA retention basin ("monkey cheek") projects, Chadchart explained that the studies were conducted academically by the city and have no link to royal initiatives.
He noted that, out of six proposed flood mitigation projects, four have been dropped after detailed assessments showed more suitable alternatives.
