Bangkok residents paddle a makeshift boat through floodwaters on Sunday, October 30. Thai officials warned residents in the capital to be vigilant and expect disruptions with electricity and tap water as Thailand battles its worst flooding in decades.
Are you there? Send your images, video to iReport.
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- A humanitarian crisis looms in Thailand after the worst floods in decades left parts of Bangkok and other areas of the country submerged, relief agencies warned Sunday.
Bangkok's central business district has so far avoided major flooding, but many of the areas nearby are chest- or waist-deep in water, forcing residents to flee their homes. The Thai government has set up more than 1,700 shelters across the country, where more than 113,000 people have taken refuge since flooding began in July after heavy monsoon rains.
More than 370 people have died, and charities working in the country have warned of the risk of water- and insect-borne diseases such as diarrhea, dengue fever and malaria in the coming days and weeks. Thai officials warned residents in the capital to be vigilant and expect disruptions with electricity and tap water.
"There are places on the outskirts of Bangkok and in other parts of the country which have been flooded for nearly two weeks," Matthew Cochrane, of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
"The country's prime minister has said that the city has 'dodged a bullet' -- the economic impact of central Bangkok being flooded would have been huge, and thankfully that did not happen -- but a huge part of the country is still under water.
"Outside the city it is certainly a humanitarian crisis, because there are people who have been cut off for weeks without any aid, supplies or food."
UNICEF said it was providing 20,000 mosquito nets, and handing out 20,000 pamphlets explaining how to stay safe and healthy in flood-hit regions.
Overall damage from the floods could exceed $6 billion, the Thai Finance Ministry has said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has urged stores not to stockpile goods, amid concerns that panic buying was leading to a shortage of essential items.
Officials in the capital have warned residents to expect interruptions to electricity and tap water supplies. The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority said it had reduced the amount of tap water processed for residents from 900,000 to 400,000 cubic meters per day, because of high algae counts at one of its plants.
The prime minister said authorities would speed up the process of draining water into Bangkok's canals and into the sea, raising hopes that water levels in the city could start to sink. However, the government has warned it may take more than a month for the floods to recede.
Cochrane said the country still faced a variety of threats, including strong currents, disease and even crocodile and snake attacks. But he said it was vital that authorities and charities also start to look beyond the immediate dangers.
"In addition to emergency services, I feel we must start working on getting resources available to help people get back on their feet and live a life after the floods," he told CNN.
CNN's Bryony Jones and Aliza Kassim contributed to this report.
Loading weather data ...
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
People commute along a flooded street near the Chao Phraya River on Sunday in Bangkok.
A Bangkok resident makes his way through a flooded street on Sunday.
People travel on a truck along a flooded street on Sunday in Bangkok.
Residents commute along a flooded street on Sunday.
Thai residents wade through waist-high waters in Bangkok on Friday, October 28, after heavy floods swept through the area. Hundreds of people have died from flood-related incidents since July.
A Thai police officer directs traffic as cars pass through flooded streets on Friday. Residents have begun leaving Bangkok to escape the rising waters.
People paddle and walk through a flooded neighborhood near the Chao Praya River.
Residents evacuating their neighborhoods get off a rescue boat near the Chao Praya River.
Thai residents walk in floodwaters along a street in the Chinatown section of Bangkok.
People travel through floodwaters on a boat as they evacuate their neighbourhood next to the Chao Praya river in Bangkok..
Residents wait for a rescue boat as they evacuate their neighborhood next to the Chao Praya River in Bangkok on Friday.
A man smokes a cigarette outside his home as floodwaters rise in Bangkok on Wednesday, October 26. The government has called the flooding the worst to afflict the nation in half a century.
People walk through a flooded street in Bangkok's Chinatown on Wednesday. Thailand derives a significant portion of its revenue from tourism, which has been diminished by the flooding.
A man pulls a makeshift raft through a flooded street in Bangkok on Wednesday. Floodwaters extend from Rangsit, north of Bangkok, to the Don Muang airport and Yingcharoen Market.
A woman sits with her daughter in the window of their flooded condo. Residents have been urged to flee the rising waters.
A man lies on a couch Wednesday in his flooded Bangkok home. Gov. Sukhumbhand Paripatra says that despite the risk, it is difficult to persuade people to leave their homes.
Women stand in a flooded residential area in Bangkok's Chinatown. Overall damage from the floods could top $6 billion, the Thai Finance Ministry said.
Evacuated residents stand among tents in a shelter set up for flood victims at Don Muang airport. Floodwaters forced the airport to close, and it now serves as a base of flood relief operations.
A man holds his dog and stands by his belongings at the Don Muang airport. He's waiting to be transferred to a new evacuation center.
A girl tries to catch fish in floodwaters outside her house Wednesday.
Children play in flooded streets in Bangkok. It might take more than a month for the waters to recede in some areas, officials say.
Bangkok residents watch television in a flooded beauty salon on Wednesday.
Buddhist monks walk toward a pier along the Chao Phraya River, which winds through the capital.
Workers construct a sandbag wall Wednesday along the Chao Praya River, anticipating that it would overtop its embankments over the weekend.
An elderly woman in Bangkok is helped onto a truck to be taken to a hospital. The flooding has affected more than 9.5 million people, authorities said.
Chinatown residents make their way through a flooded street on Wednesday. The water has caused problems for small vehicles and led to traffic congestion.
|