Bangkok Floods in 2011 and Its Impacts on Household Livelihood and Health of the Residents - ผลกระทบของการเกิดอุทกภัยปี 2554 ต่อความเป็นอยู่ภายในครัวเรือรและสุขภาพของผู้ที่อาศัยอยู่ในเขตกรุงเทพมหานคร

Abstract

There has been no evidence revealing impacts of the floods on livelihood and health of the
residents affected by Bangkok flood. This study was aimed at assessing the impacts of Bangkok-
2011 flood on livelihood and health of the residents in order to produce policy recommendations for
mitigating the impacts with better preparedness, reliefs and rehabilitation management.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the affected areas of Bangkok Metropolitan. Twostage
stratified cluster sampling was employed. Nine hundred households were sampled. Questionnaires
were used to collect households’ property losses as well as individuals’ livelihood and health
conditions, during January - March of 2012. Data analysis was done by using STATA 11.0.
The response rate was 97 percent. Local flood warning covered only 64 percent of households
in the affected area. Evacuation rate was 42 percent. Shelters were flooded for 61 percent with the
highest level of water at 170 cm and longest period of 90 days. The floods affected livelihood of the
residents in several ways including loss of income or employment status, shortage of food and
drinking water, water supplies, toilet, garbage service and also damaged household properties. Household
preparedness was unlikely to mitigate troubles with shortage of food and drink water probably
due to underestimation of the severity, however, it tended to decrease the cost of property damages.
The occurrence of shortage of essential goods and public utilities indicated that logistics and public
services were unprepared for floods. People who evacuated tended to have fewer problems with
shortage of food and drinking water than those who stayed at flooded houses. Respondents with
certain characteristics, including holding vocational certificate or below or being daily-wage workers
or running small businesses, were likely to lose their income more than others. Increasing stress
was found among affected people. Certain groups of population, including people with lower socioeconomic
status; encountered with moderate or severe flood; having chronic diseases; or insisted to
stay in the floods, were likely to have increasing stress during the floods more than others.
Actions for better preparedness, including effective flood forecasting system; household flood
preparedness guideline with proper dissemination; flood preparedness action plan for logistics and
public services; special care for patients with chronic diseases who did not evacuate; and appropriate
evacuation management, should be employed in high-risk area in order to avoid tremendous loss
and mitigate sufferings resulting from flood. Moreover, assistance for unemployed workers, especially
for daily-wage workers and small business owners, is needed if there is a prolonged flood.
Key words: flood, Bangkok Metropolitan, household livelihood, health impact