CALGARY — Thailand’s flood crisis is continuing to wreak havoc across the country, with a major reservoir nearing 99% capacity, severe disruption hitting Bangkok’s largest airport and flooding forcing major automakers to halt production.Vajiralongkorn Dam in the western province of Kanchanaburi reached 98.87% of capacity as of midnight Thursday, according to Thailand’s Hydro-Informatics Institute.The reservoir held approximately 8.76 billion cubic metres of water, leaving only about 1.13% of its storage capacity available.The figure marks another increase from the previous day, when the reservoir stood at 98.61% capacity.Officials have stressed that the high reservoir level does not mean Vajiralongkorn Dam is failing.The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand said officials inspected the dam Thursday and its main structures remained in normal and safe condition. Water releases are being coordinated with Thailand’s Office of the National Water Resources as authorities attempt to manage continued inflows while limiting the impact on communities downstream.Flooding has meanwhile spread throughout Kanchanaburi, affecting all 13 districts of the western province.Earlier this week, dramatic scenes emerged from Dan Makham Tia district, where floodwaters reached nearly to the rooftops of some homes, forcing residents to evacuate to higher ground.Thousands of households have been affected as swollen rivers and runoff inundated communities, farmland and transportation routes..Hundreds of kilometres east, the flooding has caused major disruption at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand’s largest international gateway.The airport itself remained operational, but Thai Airways’ ground operations were severely disrupted after flooding across Bangkok prevented large numbers of employees from reaching work.Reuters reported that nearly all Thai Airways flights were delayed at the height of the disruption, while thousands of pieces of luggage accumulated at the airport.The baggage backlog at one point surpassed 10,000 pieces of luggage, according to Thailand’s transport minister, prompting military personnel to be deployed to help airport workers clear the pileup.The flooding also forced Thai Airways to suspend most cargo acceptance at Suvarnabhumi as the airline struggled with staffing shortages and accumulated shipments.The fallout has since reached the top of the airline.Thai Airways CEO Chai Eamsiri was suspended from his role Friday, pending a fact-finding investigation into the airline’s handling of the flood-related disruption. The airline appointed board member Samrit Samniang as acting CEO while it reviews its crisis-management procedures.Conditions at Suvarnabhumi have begun to improve, with stranded passengers cleared from the airport and crews working through the remaining baggage and cargo backlog..Thailand’s automotive industry has also been hit by the flooding, forcing two of the world’s largest automakers to suspend vehicle production. Toyota Motor Thailand temporarily halted operations at four plants after flooding disrupted the delivery of automotive components.Reuters reported that Toyota’s Samrong, Ban Pho and Gateway assembly plants, along with a Toyota Auto Works facility, were affected as suppliers struggled to move parts through flooded areas.The company subsequently announced additional production suspensions at Samrong, Ban Pho and Gateway between Oct. 5 and Oct. 10, although the schedule could change depending on flood conditions and the availability of parts.Honda Automobile Thailand has also suspended vehicle production, halting operations at its Prachin Buri and Ayutthaya plants from Oct. 2 through Oct. 6. Honda said flooding affecting suppliers, particularly in Chonburi and Rayong provinces, had disrupted deliveries of components needed to keep production lines operating.The shutdown affects Honda vehicle production across Thailand, although the automaker said it plans to resume normal production Oct. 7 and use additional shifts to recover lost output.The Federation of Thai Industries has estimated preliminary losses to the automotive supply chain and related industries at more than 1 billion baht, with manufacturers facing damage to machinery and raw materials as well as transportation and staffing disruptions.Thailand is a major automotive manufacturing hub in Southeast Asia, meaning prolonged disruptions could extend beyond the factories themselves and into regional supply chains..Bangkok was inundated by approximately 320 millimetres of rain, nearly as much as the low-lying capital typically receives during the entire month of September.Flooding has affected millions of people across dozens of provinces, inundating homes, roads, farmland and businesses. At least 23 people had died nationwide as of Tuesday, including four in Bangkok.The Thai government has approved billions of baht in emergency assistance while authorities continue monitoring rivers, reservoirs and low-lying communities. Kanchanaburi remains one of the areas under particularly close observation.Railway services and tourist attractions have been disrupted, while communities along major waterways remain on alert as authorities balance incoming water against releases from reservoirs already holding exceptionally large volumes.With further rainfall possible, authorities continue to monitor reservoirs, rivers and flood-prone communities as recovery efforts continue across the country.
