BANGKOK, THAILAND – Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul launched a high-level taskforce to protect the country from a repeat of recent devastating floods.
New national flood taskforce launched
Following severe flooding in Songkhla and the 2011 “century flood”, the government established a special committee to make the country more resilient. Anutin signed the founding order on 1 December and took over the chair himself, with all deputy prime ministers serving as his deputies. More than 30 senior officials from key ministries were appointed to the body.
Key agencies at one table
The membership list included the disaster prevention agency, the meteorological department and the armed forces, among others. All relevant institutions were brought together to develop a coordinated national strategy. The committee was given three months to present a concrete action plan.
Learning from past mega-floods
The mandate focused on drawing lessons from the major floods of 2011 and 2025, which hit Central Thailand and the south around Songkhla particularly hard. The government order warned that such events could recur as climate change intensified the situation.
“Such floods can occur again in the future,”
said the government order.
Five core tasks for future resilience
The committee was tasked first with developing a modern warning system, setting up evacuation centres and providing emergency equipment. Second, it had to ensure that electricity, water and telecommunications networks would keep functioning during floods, and third, prepare the health system for flood disasters. Fourth, it was instructed to produce an emergency handbook for the population with annual drills, and fifth, to create a unified crisis command for coordinated rescue operations.
International models and public input
The taskforce was required to study best practices from other countries that had successfully managed major floods. Its findings were to be discussed with all relevant stakeholders, from local administrations to business representatives, so that broad input could be incorporated. After cabinet approval, the recommendations would be integrated into the national disaster prevention plan, and the public would be informed of the results.
Race against the next rainy season
The committee had to complete its work by the end of February 2026, after which implementation would begin. For millions of Thais in high-risk areas, the initiative represented a sign of hope that images of submerged cities and destroyed livelihoods could become a thing of the past. Whether the body would deliver effective solutions or fade into just another committee was expected to become clear in the next season of heavy rainfall, with pressure on Anutin and his team described as immense.