In October floodwaters reached the mouth of the Chao Phraya and inundated parts of the capital city of Bangkok. Flooding persisted in some areas until mid-January 2012, and resulted in a total of 815 deaths (with three missing) and 13.6 million people affected.

When was Bangkok flooded?

Bangkok witnessed a catastrophic 2011 monsoon season, when it experienced its worst flooding in decades. A fifth of the city was underwater and more than 500 people died. In the past, farmland and rice paddies in low-lying areas absorbed flood water, but the city's expansion has seen much converted into real estate.

What caused the flood in Thailand 2011?

Summary. The 2011 Thailand floods were caused by a combination of a strong southeast Asian summer monsoon that brought high rainfall across the country between May and October, and the remnants of four tropical storms that brought high rainfall to northern Thailand between June and October.

How long did the 2011 flood last?

The flood waters in Brisbane peaked at 4.46 metres at 4am on Thursday, January 13, and 322 millimetres of rain was received over the Brisbane River catchment for the five days. Seqwater's review into the flood found the Brisbane River had swollen to almost twice the volume it was during the 1974 flood.

Is Bangkok underwater?

“Much of Bangkok is already lower than the sea level. Every year, it sinks by 1-2 centimetres, and some areas by even more. ... “Much of Bangkok is already lower than the sea level. Every year, it sinks by 1-2 centimetres, and some areas by even more.

Main Floodwaters Reach Bangkok

28 related questions found

Will Bangkok be underwater by 2050?

Rising seas could affect three times more people by 2050 than previously thought, according to new research, threatening to all but erase some of the world's great coastal cities including Bangkok.

Is Bangkok a sinking city?

In Bangkok, the city now sinks as much as 30 millimeters per year, according to a report from 2015, and Ho Chi Minh City is sinking as much as 80 millimeters per year. In both cities, some areas may be sinking much faster, depending on local geology and the weight of buildings.

What caused 1974 Brisbane floods?

These torrential rains were caused by Wanda, a relatively weak tropical cyclone which did not even rate as a category 1 cyclone. Continual, heavy rain had fallen for three weeks, leading up to the flood, which occurred on Sunday, 27 January 1974, during the Australia Day weekend.

How did Toowoomba flood in 2011?

On 10 January 2011, a wall of water swept through Toowoomba, then travelled west, flooding Oakey, Dalby, Chinchilla and Condamine for a second time. This caused flooding through the Lockyer Valley, including Murphy's Creek, Postman's Ridge, Helidon, Grantham, Laidley, Lowood, Fernvale and Forrest Hill.

How much did the 2011 Brisbane flood cost?

Using the methodology shown in Appendix D for tangible costs, the total tangible cost associated with the 2010–11 Queensland floods is estimated at around $5.7 billion (2011 dollars) or $6.7 billion (2015 dollars).

Why is Bangkok sinking?

The sinking of the city is mostly driven by the sheer weight of the built-up urbanisation, as well as uncontrolled groundwater extraction. ... Between climate change and land subsidence, the Thai National Reform Council predicts that the city of Bangkok could be under water in less than 15 years.

What causes flooding in Bangkok?

There are human factors such as urbanization, land use, and irrigation systems etc. These factors caused more complex flooding in the Chao Phraya plain. Bangkok and vicinity (Samut Prakarn, Nonthaburi, Pathumthani), S of Chao Phraya delta has flooding every year, because some areas are below the mean sea level.

Why is Thailand prone to floods?

Main cause of flooding in Thailand is heave rain in monsoon season, overloaded capacity of dam, river. Geographical of Thailand, Northern Thailand is hill side, when there is heavy rain the water flow from northern river such as Ping, Wang, Yom, Nan to Chaopraya river, flood-plain area which is central area.

How many vehicles were lost because of the floods in Thailand?

Nevertheless, the overall impact of the Thailand floods on TMC was huge, occurring at a time when TMC had just begun to make up for lost production following a great earthquake disaster, and causing it to lose out on 260,000 vehicles in global production.

Are there floods in Thailand?

Nearly 287,000 homes have been hit by floods in 32 of the country's 77 provinces. ... In recent days, the situation has eased in 14 of those provinces, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

What happens when there is a flood?

Floods have large social consequences for communities and individuals. As most people are well aware, the immediate impacts of flooding include loss of human life, damage to property, destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and deterioration of health conditions owing to waterborne diseases.

How many homes were destroyed in the Queensland floods 2011?

The trail of destruction left more than 30,000 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. Insurance-wise, the disaster cost over $2 billion. But it has been the emotional heartache that has had the biggest impact.

Where did it flood in Brisbane 2011?

On 13th January 2011 major flooding occurred throughout most of the Brisbane River catchment, most severely in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Creek catchment (where 23 people drowned), the Bremer River catchment and in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland.

Why did Brisbane flood in 2011?

The floods were caused by heavy rain from tropical cyclone "Tasha" that joined with a trough during a La Niña event. La Niña is an unusual weather pattern, which brings wet weather to eastern Australia. ... This caused heavy rainfall across Queensland.

What was the date of the 1974 flood?

For the five day period from 9am Thursday 24 January 1974 to 9am Tuesday 29 January 1974 rainfall in the Brisbane metropolitan area ranged from 500mm to 900mm and exceeded 300mm in all but the extreme western parts of the Brisbane River catchment area.

What month was the flood in 1974?

By late January in 1974, almost every river in Queensland was in flood. A very slow moving monsoonal trough producing heavy rain had drifted further south than normal and then met the weakening cyclone Wanda over Brisbane.

How fast is Thailand sinking?

In Southeast Asia, Jakarta and Bangkok are sinking fast. In fact, Bangkok, located 0.5–2 metres above sea level, is sinking at a rate of 2–3 centimetres each year. It is predicted that a large part of the capital city will be underwater by 2030, 2050, or the conservative estimate of 2100.

What is the fastest sinking city in the world?

Today, Jakarta is the world's fastest-sinking city. The problem gets worse every year, but the root of it precedes modern Indonesia by centuries. In the 1600s, when the Dutch landed in Indonesia and built present-day Jakarta, they divided up the city to segregate the population.