Thailand braces for floods

Last year, floodwaters inundated this industrial estate on the flood plains north of Bangkok.

The floods hit nearly 1,000 factories, disrupting global supply chains.

It cost insurers an estimated $20 billion and revealed how poorly the sector had assessed natural disaster risks.

With the arrival of the monsoon season, workers are putting the final touches on concrete flood walls that encircle industrial estates and fortifying dykes.

(SOUNDBITE) KOBKARN WATANAVARANGKUL , EXECUTIVE CHAIRWOMAN OF TOSHIBA CORP THAILAND SAYING (English):

"We have to admit that we didn't anticipate (flood level) at the time. I think the quantity of the water is so huge. And when we were flooded, we were not only flooded inside the industrial estate. When we look around, especially from the bird's eyes view we were in the sea of water."

Disaster and insurance experts warn the flood catastrophe that hit Thailand could happen elsewhere in Asia.

In the rush for development, many factories in Asia have been built along coasts, with a heavy concentration on river deltas.

Most construction was done without long-term historical data on floods and storms.

Rising sea levels, increasing rainfall, harsher storms as well as a population increase and a demand for infrastructure could also help exacerbate future disasters.

Masako Iijima, Reuters