Flooded homes and rising costs: Why some Thai villages are paying the price to protect Bangkok

As climate change causes more frequent and severe flooding, could cities in Europe face the same tough choices? Inside their home, raised more than three metres above the ground in the central province of Ayutthaya in Thailand, Kamonchanok Sathaphonamonwut’s family of three sleeps on makeshift platforms and cannot use the waterlogged toilet. Her village has been flooded six years in a row, pushing some to move away, while others have raised their houses higher. "Our area simply cannot cope with this much water anymore," the 34-year-old says as she wades through her soaked home. But while authorities prioritise protecting Bangkok and other business hubs from floods, "when it comes to our residential communities, they neglect us", she says. Flood defences protect cities but leave villages submerged Thailand experiences flooding every year during the monsoon season, and scientists say human-made climate change has made heavy rain and floods more frequent and severe. After devastating floods in 2011, the government expanded embankments, water gates and other infrastructure to direct water away from Bangkok, the historic city of Ayutthaya and industrial zones along the Chao Phraya River, which flows through the capital. The defences have largely kept commercial centres safe, but residents of other areas have been left to fend for themselves. Around 20 kilometres from Ayutthaya's centuries-old temple ruins, a UNESCO heritage site, residents say floods that once reached their knees now rise above their heads in some areas and can take several months to recede. Office worker Kamonchanok has been forced to commute by boat and hoist her household appliances and other belongings above the waterline. "All we can do is deal with the consequences," she says. "There's only so much we can do to adapt." The 'cruel' cost of flood protection Climate change, low-lying geography and recently built embankments that have altered the natural flow of the Chao Phraya have contributed to more severe flooding in downstream communities, says Thai irrigation department spokesman Thanet Somboon. "Even when water is released from the Chao Phraya Dam at the same rate as before, the impact is greater than it used to be," he explains. And after irrigation channels are completely full of diverted water, he says authorities have "no choice but to discharge the remaining water downstream". But Thanet acknowledges that officials may need to review infrastructure to "ensure floodwater can be kept within the intended limits". Environmental conservationist Sasin Chalermlarp adds the government has done "an excellent job" managing floods across the central plains, but its efforts were "cruel" to those bearing the brunt of the flooding. In low-lying riverside districts that serve as flood retention zones, stretches of villages were left underwater this October, with some homes abandoned and others submerged up to their roofs. Sasin says floodwater that once spread across much of Ayutthaya is now concentrated in just "five to 10 percent" of the province. The rising costs of staying dry As flooding in hard-hit districts has become more severe, many who remain have paid to lift their stilt houses higher and keep their living space dry. Kamonchanok's family raised their home twice in the 1990s, the second time by 1.5 metres. But floodwater still reached their house in 2011, and again for the past six consecutive years. Raising a house can cost between 100,000 and one million baht (about €2,700-€27,000), depending on its size and height, residents say. Some families have lifted their homes twice in just a few years, exhausting their savings and borrowing to get by. Despite spending more than one million baht (€27,000) to raise her home, Sawong Raksri, 87, has become resigned to the reality she now faces. "It floods like this every year recently. What's the point of complaining?" she says. Could a 'flood-free tax' help? Sasin acknowledges that the area's low-lying land makes it a natural route for floodwater. "But the villagers have no choice. They are being forced to make sacrifices," he says. Sasin, who lives in a protected part of Ayutthaya, has proposed a "flood-free tax" on those who benefit from the defences to help impacted families raise their homes and repair damage. Thanet, meanwhile, says the idea warranted further study to determine "how to support people who sacrifice their land to accommodate floodwater". The government's flagship fix is a €700-million flood diversion canal, designed to carry 1,200 cubic metres of water – around half the volume of an Olympic-size swimming pool – per second around the bottleneck where the Chao Phraya narrows through Ayutthaya. It is expected to be completed by 2030. Until then, Kamonchanok says that her community is not even demanding an end to intentional flooding, but rather a cap on water levels and financial support for those whose homes sit below the flood line. "All we're asking for is to be able to live comfortably in our own homes," she says. "Why can't they give us that?"