Flood resilience a national imperative

The twin cyclones Senyar and Ditwah that struck South and Southeast Asia in November caused unprecedented flooding across the region, with Thailand among the most severely affected.

- SRINIVASA POPURI KOTCHAKORN VORAAKHOM

A picture of flood-hit Hat Yai municipality after being inundated by unusually heavy rain for five consecutive days, on Nov 23.

(SONGKHLA PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE)

Hat Yai, in particular, experienced weeks of inundation as more than 1,044 millimetres of rainfall accumulated over five days. The resulting 1.2 to 1.5 billion cubic metres of runoff completely overwhelmed drainage infrastructure, submerged major commercial zones, and disrupted the lives of more than 465,000 residents.

This was far more than a localised disaster — it marked a critical turning point for Thailand’s coastal cities, revealing that the country is entering an era where traditional flood-control systems are no longer sufficient to protect communities from climate-driven extremes.

To address flooding once and for all, Thailand must adopt a multilayered institutional structure and a nature-positive, researchand data-driven approach aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 11. This represents a pivotal “wake-up call” for the nation.

Hat Yai’s history of major floods in 2000, 2010, 2024, and now 2025 highlights a crucial lesson: structural prevention alone is inadequate, given its position directly in the path of natural watershed flows. Following the 2000 flood, significant investment was made in hard engineering, such as levees and diversion canals. Yet, the 2010 catastrophe proved these measures were overwhelmed by increased rainfall intensity and rapid, unplanned urban sprawl into natural floodplains. As urbanisation continues to obstruct waterways, the destructive power of flash floods only grows.