The Chao Phraya River, which flows through the densely populated heart of Bangkok, remained behind dykes Wednesday morning, but the government expressed concerns it would breech those barriers and flood the capital.
Employees at several hotels in the old part of the city said all was well early Wednesday after Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said the river’s water level reached a record high late Tuesday. It rose to nearly 2.4 metres above sea level, the Bangkok Post reported.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said existing flood walls might not hold and water could flood central and inner zones of the capital.
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“The highest risk will be areas along the Chao Phraya River and the floodwalls along the banks,” Ms. Yingluck said in a televised message late Tuesday.
Don Muang Airport remained closed Wednesday after water covered some of the runways Tuesday, shutting it down. Don Muang was Bangkok’s only airport until 2006 when Suvarnabhumi International Airport was opened south-east of the city. The newer facility remained operational Wednesday.
The Flood Relief Operations Command would remain headquartered at Don Muang, spokesman Wim Rungwattanajinda said.
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A special holiday is to start Thursday and runs through Monday.
Ms. Yingluck’s cabinet ordered the holiday in 21 provinces, including Bangkok, to allow residents to concentrate on the emergency during a high tide period.
Traffic on major roads moved at a snail’s pace because parked cars blocked overpasses, leaving only one narrow lane for vehicles to move.
Elevated parts of roads have turned into parking lots in the capital as car parks filled up and motorists in flat, low-lying Bangkok sought safe locations for their vehicles.