Bangkok is sinking fast
For the more or less 10 million people living in Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok, flooding is a common and recurring phenomenon. This is partly due to the city’s geographic location at the southern end of the Chao Phraya River Basin, as well as its low-lying terrain of around 1.5 metres average elevation above mean sea level. The city normally experiences six months of rainy season every year from May to October.
However, conditions are soon expected to worsen for much of Bangkok. This is due to its vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, as well as the ongoing sinking or land subsidence that is threatening the city. The implication is that while the sea level rises, the lowering of ground level continues, leaving the city doubly vulnerable to urban flooding.
Jason Thomas
