Residents prepare for floods in Bangkok, Thailand

Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/26l2x8rhng2cj9f/VRP73394.mp4?dl=0

Residents were this week preparing for floods amid heavy rain that has hit Bangkok, Thailand.

Footage shows sandbags that are laid along the swollen and fast-flowing Chao Phraya river in the Thai capital.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) has warned residents living in homes along the river to prepare for floods between October and December.

Officials have also reinforced floodgates along the river from Rama VII Bridge to Bang Na district, as well as 14 low-lying areas.

Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang said the forecasters have estimated that the water level of the river will rise by 20cm-40cm due to water overflow from the Ping River.

Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are at the peak of their tropical monsoon rainy season, which lasts until late November. Soaring temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius are often followed by powerful tropical storms with thunder, lightning, rain and flash floods which cause rivers to flow faster and become dangerous.