Bangkok is bracing for possible floods until Friday as the Meteorological Department (MD) warned on Sunday that torrential rain is forecast for most parts of the capital.
After three consecutive rainy weeks, the level of water in canals in eastern Bangkok is now high.
They need to be drained through water pumps while rubbish and aquatic weeds need to be removed to improve the city's drainage system, said Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang on Sunday.
More water pumps have been installed in flood-prone areas while the city's flood response centre has begun operating around the clock to ensure prompt action in case of flooding, he said. Some flooding was reported in the city last night.
The Meteorological Department yesterday said an active low-pressure area in the middle of the South China Sea has picked up speed and is likely to become a tropical cyclone as it moves closer to Vietnam's coast.
As a result, all parts of Thailand are expected to be hit by heavy rain from today until Friday, said the MD.
A monsoon trough in the lower North, Central Plains and the East coupled with the impact of the southwest monsoon in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand is expected to result in sea waves as high as 2 metres in areas where thundershowers occur.
People living in flood-prone areas in all parts of the country have been warned to prepare for flash floods, said the MD's forecast.