Residents have been warned of four days of possible floods

Deputy Bangkok Governor Malinee Sukavejworakit warned residents in 27 communities outside the city's embankments to move their belongings to higher ground while officials of 50 Bangkok districts were instructed to be on full alert.

Malinee quoted a Meteorological Department report predicting rain in the Bangkok metropolitan area from September 14 to 17 and, to worsen the situation, it coincides with high tide during the period.

Water pumps must be ready for pumping duty, especially in flood-prone areas, to drain water, she said. Municipal workers have been instructed to check the city's embankments along the Chao Phraya River to ensure that they are intact.

The order came on the heels of flash floods in the northern province of Sukhothai after water flowed through a breach in the flood prevention wall.

She said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered the opening of the city's sluice gates to alleviate risk of flooding.

She urged the government to drain water into eastern and western Bangkok instead of the Chao Phraya River, which could affect residents in inner part of the capital.