Bangkok (VNA) – About 30% of Bangkok’s area could be permanently underwater by 2050 unless the government urgently reforms water resource management and takes proactive measures to respond to climate change, environmental and water management experts warned at a seminar organised by the Thai Journalists Association on October 7.
Speaking at the event, environmental and health academic expert Dr. Sondhi Khotchawat said Bangkok faces particular exposure because land is subsiding by 1-2cm annually, and sea levels in the Gulf of Thailand are rising by an average 4mm a year. He noted that the capital city is shaped like a basin and relies heavily on pumping.
By 2050, Gulf sea levels could rise by 20-30cm, potentially submerging one-third of Bangkok, putting an estimated 11 to 12 million people at risk of displacement, Sondhi said.
Bang Khun Thian coastal district and the two provinces of Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon are forecast to be among the first areas affected.
To address the risks, experts proposed a package of measures, including sea walls, tidal gates, drainage tunnels, underground retention areas, more green space and mangroves, permeable materials, restrictions on groundwater extraction and AI-supported early warnings, and banning construction in basin areas.
Regarding the current flood situation, Thailand’s National Disaster Warning Centre said Bangkok is not yet at risk of a major flood from the North.
However, pressure to discharge water is increasing in the Bang Pakong River basin and Phetchaburi province, where Kaeng Krachan Dam has exceeded 102% of its designed capacity./.
