Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt issued an alert for communities living near the Chao Phraya River to be on guard against high water levels due to the storm surge effect at around 7pm today. The 57 year old city chief revealed at Bangkok City Hall that the volume of seawater was significantly higher than forecasted, leading to a 30% surge in sea levels on October 28.
This increase caused the Chao Phraya River to rise and overflow slightly into areas outside the dike, such as the Dusit district along the riverbank. The unparalleled surge of seawater was largely unexpected, hence communities along the Bangkok riverbank and the mouth of the Chao Phraya River in Samut Prakan province should remain vigilant.
Chadchart further explained that one of the causes could be the southeast winds in the Andaman Sea pushing water inland, resulting in a storm surge.
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