Thailand’s military is deploying an extra 50,000 troops, 1,000 vehicles and 1,000 boats as floodwaters surge towards Bangkok.
Military reservists may be mobilised as extra helpers to assist regular troops when needed.
A combination of high tides and floodwaters from the north of the country will test Bangkok’s flood defences over the next 48 hours.
Thousands have fled the capital by car and bus, choking roads.
A Dutch expert on flooding, Adri Verwey, quoted by the Bangkok Post, said the worst case scenario for Bangkok was that “extensive areas” of the capital could be submerged under more than one metre of water, if dykes are breached in many areas.
Verwey, who was sent by the government of the Netherlands to assist the Thai government, warned that Sukhumvit and other low-lying areas are especially prone – though it will take days for the water to reach inner Bangkok.
Chatuchak Market, popular with tourists, has shut down this weekend, and possibly longer if flooding continues.
