Thailand’s ineffective disaster response system exacerbates flood crisis

• Thailand's disaster response system is failing due to poor coordination, outdated warning systems, and misplaced funding priorities.
• Japan and Thailand's Hat Yai city provide successful models for effective disaster management through decentralized decision-making, advanced technology, and public education.
• To improve disaster preparedness, Thailand needs to focus on prevention, establish local disaster research centers, empower governors, and regulate land use in flood-prone areas.

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Thailand's flood problems stem from three main issues: centralised policies with poor coordination on the ground, outdated early warning systems, and insufficient funding with misplaced priorities.

Water management in Thailand is split between 48 agencies across 13 ministries, but their roles often overlap. For instance, both the National Water Resources Committee and the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee deal with floods, yet they rarely work together. As a result of no clear leader in charge, inefficiency reigns during crises.

Thailand's warning system is also unreliable. It lacks critical data on topography and land use, which are essential for flood prevention. Nearly half of the weather monitoring equipment fails to function consistently, and 96% has failed to fully report weather measurement results for at least one day.

Flood forecasts are only 33% accurate a day in advance, leaving communities vulnerable and unprepared. In many areas, warnings fail to reach residents because the SMS alert system is underdeveloped, and nearly half of the communication equipment doesn't work.

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