Bangkok Is Redesigning Its Drainage System. The New Target: 100mm of Rain an Hour.

🌡️ Weather: 25-32°C (77-90°F). Heavy rain across 43 provinces. Bangkok at heavy rain with isolated very heavy downpours. Flash flood warnings remain active.

🌫️ Air Quality: 68-138 (Good to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Improving for the fourth straight day. Clean in most districts. Some pockets still elevated. Check your local sensors.

BANGKOK IS REDESIGNING ITS DRAINAGE SYSTEM WITH JAPAN. THE TARGET: 100MM OF RAIN PER HOUR.

Bangkok City Hall is working with a Japanese government agency on a new long-term master plan for the city's drainage system. The target is a network capable of handling 100 millimeters of rain per hour, roughly double the rainfall intensity that can overwhelm parts of Bangkok today. The plan will map the city's drainage network, identify bottlenecks, model future rainfall scenarios and recommend infrastructure upgrades that could be rolled out over the next decade.

The timing is hard to ignore. Bangkok has seen repeated flooding during heavy monsoon storms, with the same roads and neighborhoods often taking the biggest hit. Instead of continuing to patch individual problem areas, the new plan is intended to look at the city's drainage system as a whole. Japan brings decades of experience dealing with heavy rainfall and urban flooding, but the big question now is what happens after the plan is finished. A blueprint can identify the problems. Bangkok still has to build the solution.

Bottom line: Bangkok wants its future drainage system to handle 100mm of rain an hour. Japan is helping design the long-term plan. The timeline for turning that plan into actual infrastructure has not been announced.

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Seacon Square Srinakarin is set to open Thailand's first immersive aquarium in late January 2027. Called MyScape, the 1,400-square-meter attraction will occupy the mall's North Wing and feature nine different zones built around different colors, moods and sensory experiences. Real fish will be combined with digital projections, lighting and sound, making the experience feel more like an art installation than a traditional aquarium.

The project comes from Index Creative Village under the concept “Where Nature Becomes Art.” The attraction is designed to give visitors something beyond a standard aquarium visit, with the team emphasizing exhibition standards and animal welfare alongside the visual experience. For families, couples looking for a different date night or anyone who has already done Bangkok's existing aquarium options, this gives Srinakarin a new reason to visit.

Bottom line: Nine zones. Real fish. Digital art. 1,400 square meters. MyScape is scheduled to open at Seacon Square in late January 2027.

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Thailand added four diseases to its official watch list: Legionnaires’ disease, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and shingles. The Department of Disease Control announced the additions this week as part of a routine surveillance update. Legionnaires’ disease and SFTS are the ones worth knowing about: Legionnaires’ can spread through contaminated water systems, while SFTS is a tick-borne virus found in parts of East and Southeast Asia. RSV mainly affects young children and older adults, while shingles can occur in anyone who has had chickenpox. The additions do not mean Thailand is experiencing outbreaks. They mean health officials want providers watching for these diseases so cases can be identified earlier.

An Avatar immersive experience is coming to Asiatique in 2027. AWC is investing ฿2 billion in entertainment infrastructure around the Chao Phraya, including a 4,000-square-meter “Avatar: Guardians of Eywa” attraction. The project will reuse Blue Dome structures originally built for Expo 2025 in Osaka, while a planned cable car will connect Asiatique with MONA Bangkok across the river.

Thailand has submitted Chud Thai national dress to UNESCO for recognition as intangible cultural heritage. Princess Sirivannavari presented all eight recognized styles at a showcase at Tokyo National Museum on September 17-18, alongside traditional men's Suea Phra Ratchathan shirts. A decision is expected at the UNESCO committee meeting in Xiamen, China, in December 2026.

Thailand's US trade negotiations are entering the final stage. Thai officials presented data showing 75-90% capacity utilization in three key industries as they work to support retaining the current 19% US tariff rate. A meeting between Prime Minister Anutin and US counterparts is also being arranged.

ASIA TODAY BAR — SOI NANA, CHINATOWN

Asia Today is tucked into Soi Nana in Bangkok's Chinatown, surrounded by the old-town streets and growing collection of bars that have made the area one of the city's best nightlife districts. The cocktail menu leans heavily into Thai ingredients, including honey, local herbs, fermented fruit and wild peppercorns. It's a small, atmospheric space rather than a massive cocktail lounge, and one of its most memorable decorations is a giant plastic shark hanging above the bar. If you're looking for something different from another rooftop in Sukhumvit, this is the kind of place worth making a trip for.

The bar has a 4.8-star rating from 492 Google reviews, with cocktails generally running ฿400-600. Reviewers regularly mention the attentive staff, creative drinks and atmosphere. Its location also makes it easy to turn one drink into an entire Chinatown bar crawl, with Tep Bar and Teens of Thailand both nearby. Asia Today stays open until 1AM, making it a good late-night stop after dinner in Yaowarat.

→ See their menu and find them here ←

Insider tip: Ask the bartender to build something around the honey or fermented fruit, reserve ahead through Nightify if an especially busy weekend.

📍 35 Soi Nana, Pom Prap, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok 10100
📞 096 889 1313
🕐 Open daily, closes 1AM
⭐ 4.8 stars (492 Google reviews) | ฿400-600
🌐 @asia_today_bar

Always check opening times before heading out.

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