A glacier collapse in the Himalayas on Wednesday (Aug 26) triggered massive mudslides and floods that swept across the Nepal-China border. The death toll has now surged to nearly 800, with over 3,000 people missing. In Nepal, 781 people have been confirmed dead and 2,502 are missing. On the Chinese side, in Tibet, 16 deaths have been confirmed in Gyirong County, with 546 missing. Additionally, 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries are unaccounted for. The Red Cross estimates that more than 90,000 people have been affected. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described it as the most severe cross-border disaster in years. Meanwhile, fresh heavy rainfall has raised water levels in the Trishuli River, posing a risk of further flooding, and rescue teams have had to suspend operations multiple times due to poor weather. In Nepal, the army has mobilized about 10,000 troops to expedite efforts to rescue around 350 workers possibly trapped in a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli project. Authorities have begun burying hundreds of unidentified victims in mass graves as bodies start to decompose, while DNA samples are being collected for later identification. Chinese scientists attribute the disaster to glacier instability caused by global warming. The Chinese government has dispatched over 2,100 rescue personnel and allocated emergency funds of no less than 220 million yuan.
Government warns of heavy rain October 7-13, northern water levels begin to ease
Ms. Lalida Peritswiwattana, deputy spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, disclosed that flood conditions in Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, and Suphan Buri have begun to recede, while Chon Buri and Phanat Nikhom are trending better. However, the western region still requires vigilance, especially Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, and Samut Songkhram, because rainfall is expected to increase from October 10 to 12, 2026. In Pathum Thani, drainage remains slow and some water is flowing in from the Ongkharak area, and Chachoengsao and Prachin Buri also need to be monitored. As for water from the northern region, today the volume measured at Nakhon Sawan was 1,915 cubic meters per second, while the Chao Phraya Dam is releasing water at 2,500 cubic meters per second, and in the afternoon it will begin reducing the release to 2,400 cubic meters per second, stepping down by 20 cubic meters per second per hour. Mr. Thawatchai Traiwari, director of the Water Situation Analysis Division of the Royal Irrigation Department, disclosed that the Sirikit Dam and the Bhumibol Dam can still hold water, so the lower areas are not affected, and the reduced releases will lower water levels by another 10 to 25 centimeters. In the Mae Klong basin, the Mae Klong Dam is releasing about 1,100 cubic meters per second, an increase from yesterday, causing water levels in Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, and Samut Sakhon to rise by about 40 to 50 centimeters from yesterday. The Kaeng Krachan Dam is releasing about 10 million cubic meters per day, and the Phet Dam has an inflow of 160 cubic meters per second against a capacity of 320 cubic meters per second. Mr. Parinya Chantakup, director of the Water Quality Management Technical Division of the Bangkok Drainage Office, disclosed that over the past 24 hours rain has continued to fall across Bangkok, causing high flooding on Chalong Krung Road, Suwinthawong Road, and Lat Krabang Road, with more than 56,000 people having registered for assistance through the claim.bangkok.go.th system, mostly in the Lat Krabang, Bang Kapi, and Sai Mai areas.
Bangkok on flood alert as water levels run high, draining canals ahead of rain on 10-13 October, eastern districts seen as vulnerable
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the overall water situation in Bangkok remains at a high, fragile level, especially in the eastern districts, where water is still accumulating and more is flowing in from Lat Krabang and Chachoengsao province. Prawet Burirom canal is still draining slowly, and Bang Kapi and Lat Phrao must remain under close watch because water levels in the canal system are high. Although Bangkok can normally absorb about 60 to 70 millimetres of rain, water-retention areas and canals are currently at high levels, so heavy rain of that volume could cause overflow and flash flooding faster than usual. He urged residents in at-risk areas not to bring back down belongings they have moved to higher ground until the situation eases. Bangkok will speed up draining water from canals and monkey-cheek retention areas as much as possible, while inspecting and repairing pumps that have been working hard and moving pumps from areas where the situation has eased to support areas still in trouble. Chadchart said rainfall is likely to increase from 10 to 13 October 2026, so the weather must be monitored closely and the drainage system kept ready, especially during the period when Bangkok is hosting the IMF-World Bank meetings. He said the city will make its warnings more detailed by focusing on event-based alerts and is developing a model to analyse at-risk areas. In areas still affected, especially Nong Chok, Bangkok is mobilising resources to provide food and essential supplies, medical care, and the installation and operation of pumps to speed up drainage. Chadchart said Bangkok is not the only area affected, as surrounding areas and nearby provinces such as Chachoengsao, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan also still have water in many places, so resources will be rushed to the hardest-hit spots.
Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking raises 2026 GDP forecast to 2.1-2.5% growth, exports up 12-16%
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking has revised up its forecast range for the Thai economy in 2026, expecting gross domestic product to expand 2.1-2.5%, up from the previous range of 1.6-2.0%, and raised its export growth forecast to 12-16% from 8-10%. Inflation is kept at the previous forecast range of 2.5-3.0%. In 2025, the Thai economy grew 2.4%, exports expanded 12.9%, and inflation stood at -0.1%. The meeting also monitored risks to the Thai economy, including the price of Brent crude, which rose from 95 US dollars per barrel in September to 102 US dollars per barrel, and the yield on 30-year US government bonds, which touched 5%, a level the meeting described as the highest in 20 years. The committee views natural disasters as becoming a structural risk to the Thai economy, with the public sector having to spend an average of 50,000-60,000 million baht per year to remedy the damage. Meanwhile, the current flooding situation is affecting the agricultural sector, industrial production, especially the automotive industry, and supply chains in the central and eastern regions, as well as the tourism sector. The committee is therefore preparing to send a letter to the Prime Minister to push the public sector to accelerate preparations for flood response, and proposes that private-sector representatives join as subcommittee members on all three water management subcommittees of the National Water Resources Office. The meeting also resolved to set up an ad hoc working group to assess the impact of the floods and draft recovery proposals.
Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking sets up ad-hoc task force on floods, urges government to include private-sector representatives on national water board
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking is preparing a letter to the prime minister to press the government to speed up consideration of flood preparedness measures, and is proposing that private-sector representatives be appointed to the National Water Resources Committee and to all three of its water-management subcommittees: the subcommittee driving the water management master plan and key projects, the subcommittee directing water resource management, and the subcommittee developing innovation criteria for water resource management under the Office of the National Water Resources. Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and chair of the joint committee's meeting, said the committee resolved to set up an ad-hoc task force to assess the impact of flooding and to draft proposals on preparedness and recovery, in order to draw up an integrated plan for managing water across the entire system, while supporting assistance to those affected and accelerating the recovery of economic activity in concrete terms. The joint committee views natural disasters as becoming a structural risk to the Thai economy, with the government having to spend an average of 50 to 60 billion baht a year to remedy damage from natural disasters. Panithan Pavoralarnwittaya, secretary-general of the Federation of Thai Industries, estimated that damage to industrial plants from this year's floods already totals about 6 billion baht and could rise further, especially at auto-parts plants forced to halt production temporarily. If the problem is not resolved by October 12, it will begin to affect the automotive industry, because parts cannot be delivered for vehicle assembly.
PM Orders Seamless Cross-Provincial Water Drainage, Warns of Heavy Rain in the South October 10-12
Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered all provinces to integrate water drainage plans across areas seamlessly, and instructed them to monitor expected increases in rainfall in the South from October 10 to 12, 2026, while presiding over a meeting of the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command on October 7, 2026. He noted that the situation in many areas has begun to ease and water levels have dropped, but some provinces still have standing floodwater that cannot be drained, particularly Prachin Buri and Chachoengsao. On relief for affected residents, payments have been approved for more than 10,400 households, totaling about 94 million baht, and the process is to follow the First Come First Serve principle so that the money reaches people as quickly as possible. As for the water situation, the Chao Phraya Dam is still releasing water at a rate of 2,500 cubic meters per second, while the Mae Klong River has reduced its discharge from more than 2,000 cubic meters per second to more than 900 cubic meters per second. Water levels in dams nationwide stand at about 82% of capacity. In the case of roughly 2,000 pigs that died in Prachin Buri province, the Department of Livestock Development has buried about 1,500 of them and will accelerate the remaining approximately 500 to be completed within today.
Asia Plus backs CK to benefit from 165-billion-baht water megaproject, target 24 baht
Asia Plus Securities said in an analysis dated October 6, 2026, that Ch. Karnchang Public Company Limited, or CK, is likely to benefit from the infrastructure investment theme of water management, after the government approved the Chai Nat-Pa Sak-Thai Gulf flood diversion canal project worth approximately 165 billion baht. It views CK as having an edge from direct experience in flood diversion canals and large-scale water transmission systems, including the Bang Bala-Bang Sai flood diversion canal project with its accompanying structures, and the water transmission tunnel project from Bang Mod to the Samrong pumping station. The research team estimates that third-quarter 2026 results will be the most outstanding quarter of the year, with profit expected in the range of 1.0 to 1.2 billion baht, driven by construction revenue that continues to grow well, as well as share of profit from BEM and CKP that is expected to reach its highest level of the year on seasonal factors. There will also be dividend income from TTW and a pre-tax extraordinary gain of approximately 281 million baht from the sale of BEM shares. Asia Plus Securities maintains its buy recommendation and gives a 2027 target price of 24.00 baht, based on the sum-of-the-parts valuation method.
CK.BK · Demand · Positive Government approval of the 165-billion-baht Chai Nat-Pa Sak flood diversion canal gives CK, with direct canal experience, a likely order opportunity.
BEM.BK · Capital · Neutral BEM is mentioned only as a source of CK's share of profit and a 281-million-baht gain from CK selling BEM shares, not as a news subject.
CKP.BK · Capital · Neutral CKP is cited only as a contributor to CK's expected Q3 profit via share of profit, not as a news subject.
Thailand