PATTAYA, Thailand -- Heavy rainfall on the night of September 7, once again turned parts of Pattaya into a temporary lake, submerging roads 10 to 50 centimeters deep and bringing traffic to a standstill. Long-ignored flood-prone areas such as Soi Khao Talo-Khao Noi and the road along the railway were once again underwater, forcing cars and motorcycles to slow down or stall, with some drivers giving up and turning back.
Residents, unsurprisingly, expressed frustration over the situation. "It floods every time it rains heavily," one wrote. Others lamented years of broken promises and half-hearted fixes: "They've been digging, resurfacing, and installing drains for decades, but the water always comes back. Roads are left in ruins, and drainage systems are clogged or mismanaged."
Longtime locals also pointed out the root of the problem: Pattaya's natural waterways have been disappearing for decades. "Thirty-five years ago, Pattaya had many wide canals. Trees and greenery were everywhere. Now, there are only buildings. The drainage pipes are far too small to cope with even moderate rainfall," one resident noted. Many blamed urban development that blocks natural water flow and criticized poor planning: "They dig up streets over and over, but where does the water actually go? The work is wasteful and unplanned."
Specific problem areas continue to frustrate drivers and pedestrians alike. The railway-adjacent roads form natural basins where water accumulates. Drainage covers are often damaged or improperly installed. Sand and debris block drainage inlets, and pumping stations remain insufficient for the volume of water during heavy rain. One resident described personally clearing sand from the road only to see municipal staff neglect the issue. Others highlighted that emergency budgets are repeatedly allocated but never produce long-term solutions, with flood management reduced to temporary, "just-in-time" fixes that serve little more than bureaucratic routine.
Residents also voiced concern about safety and economic impacts. Vehicles repeatedly stall in the floodwaters, road surfaces degrade from repeated digging and resurfacing, and businesses and homes suffer property damage. Even the city's tourist image takes a hit, as Pattaya becomes synonymous with chaotic floodwaters instead of leisure. "If they keep digging, resurfacing, and then letting the water flood the streets, it's no wonder people feel abandoned and fed up," another commenter wrote.
Despite the city's claims of active flood management, residents say nothing has changed in decades. "For 40 years, the same cycle repeats: dig, resurface, divert, and fail," one local lamented. Many see it as a cycle of wasteful spending and mismanagement rather than a genuine effort to solve the problem: "They spend budgets, make it look like work is being done, but they never solve the root cause. The drains are small, the water has nowhere to go, and now streets look like a war zone after every rainy season."
Experts and locals alike point to potential solutions that remain unimplemented: dredging old canals, building retention ponds, installing larger drainage pipes, and upgrading pumping stations. But as one frustrated resident put it: "They could fix this if they wanted to, but they're too slow, too negligent, or just use it as an excuse to allocate more budget year after year."
The city's chronic inability to solve flooding issues reflects deeper governance problems. Residents have grown cynical over decades of promises and mismanaged infrastructure projects. Heavy rains are now almost a foregone conclusion of frustration, with the same roads, drains, and low-lying areas failing repeatedly.
Pattaya's flooding is not just a seasonal inconvenience; it is a symptom of decades of mismanaged urban planning, negligent infrastructure maintenance, and a lack of accountability. Until officials take serious, professional, and long-term measures to restore waterways, expand drainage capacity, and plan urban development responsibly, residents fear the cycle will continue indefinitely.
As one citizen bluntly summed up: "This is Pattaya. It always floods. And they'll always find a way to spend the budget without fixing it."