DOMINANT ANGLE
Berlin sees the flooding of Bangkok as the consequence of a city built on former marshland, caught between extreme monsoon and a saturated network of canals.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Authorities have declared a state of catastrophe for Bangkok's 50 districts after approximately 300 mm of rain fell since Thursday (DW, Tagesschau).
- 02
Governor Chadchart Sittipunt estimates that the waters could recede in two to three days if the heavy rainfall does not resume.
- 03
Civil protection warns of new depressions until Sunday over the east, northeast, and center of Thailand, with a risk of sudden flooding and mudslides.
ANALYSIS
Berlin, September 27, 2026. The German press is covering the declaration of a natural disaster announced on Saturday, September 26, by the Thai authorities for the 50 districts of Bangkok, a measure that grants local agencies exceptional emergency powers. According to Deutsche Welle (DW), since Thursday afternoon, the metropolis of some 15 million inhabitants has been hit by almost uninterrupted rains: the canal network can no longer absorb the masses of water, which are pouring into houses, restaurants, shops, and surrounding alleys.
The Governor of Bangkok, Chadchart Sittipunt, quoted by DW and Tagesschau, mentions around 300 millimeters of rain since Thursday, equivalent to 300 liters per square meter. He called on residents to move their belongings to higher ground. On Saturday afternoon, he announced on social media that the situation had stabilized: without major new precipitation, "the problem" should be resolved in two to three days, the time it takes for the water to drain.
Tagesschau, which relies on reporters from the AFP agency, reports that many streets remain submerged and that water is stagnating in homes near the canals. A merchant based near a canal in the north of the city center testifies: "The water continues to rise. It is now difficult to get out. It's now up to my hips." Her shop, she specifies, has been closed for two days.
According to the Governor, the east of the city is the most affected, due to saturated canals. "Our problem is that the canals are full," he explained, adding that Bangkok is coordinating with neighboring provinces to divert some of the water and limit what flows into the capital. The civil protection agency is warning of new depressions expected in the east, northeast, and center of the country until Sunday, with a risk of sudden flooding and mudslides.
DW recalls that Bangkok, once nicknamed "the Venice of the East", was built on former marshland - a reminder, in the German account, of the city's structural fragility in the face of the monsoon. DW also specifies that nearly a thousand inhabitants have been evacuated to emergency shelters.
