Not out of budget! Cabinet approves additional 10.5 billion baht in central funds to fight 2026 floods, rushing relief for 1.48 million households

Today (20 October 2026) at 2:00 PM at Government House, Mr. Ekkapop Peanprasert, Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, revealed that the Cabinet approved a budget framework for the fiscal year 2027 central fund, emergency or necessary reserve expenditure item, adding 10,508,876,400 baht to assist 1,481,401 households affected by floods during the 2026 rainy season. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) is designated as the budget recipient to disburse aid through Government Savings Bank, with permission to reallocate funds across provinces and items as proposed by the Ministry of Interior, preparing to provide relief to flood victims whose information is currently being verified, confirming that the government is expediting payments to the public as quickly as possible.

Regarding operational results as of 14 October 2026, 390,393 flood-affected households have already received relief funds totaling 3,047,545,000 baht, leaving a remaining budget of 2,244,110,600 baht for disbursements.

However, the number of flood-affected households eligible under the Cabinet resolution exceeds the number previously approved under the budget framework. With registrants and casualty cases totaling 2,096,152 households and 5 fatalities, representing a total assistance amount of 15,800,532,000 baht, an additional budget support of 10,508,876,400 baht was requested to ensure comprehensive assistance to disaster victims.

The Government Spokesperson stated that because the flood situation occurred in late September, which coincided with the end of the fiscal year, the Cabinet passed a resolution on 29 September 2026 approving a central fund of 4.7 billion baht to care for citizens affected by floods across 66 provinces and Bangkok. Over the past 2–3 weeks, the government has already disbursed over 5 billion baht in relief. The Prime Minister ordered the verification and disbursement process to be expedited, with DDPM taking 1 day to verify data before sending it to Government Savings Bank to check national ID numbers, PromptPay linkage, and account statuses, which was reduced from 3 days to 1 day. As a result, the combined verification process of both agencies takes no more than 2 days.

Mr. Ekkapop added that the Cabinet's approval of additional central funds does not mean the budget ran out, but rather serves as budget preparation to accommodate affected victims who submitted claims and are still under verification, ensuring that assistance remains continuous and covers all citizens entitled to relief funds.

For registration through the “Thang Rath” application, registrant data remains in the system for local administrative organizations, such as municipalities, Subdistrict Administrative Organizations (SAO), and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, to verify names and damages before granting approval and forwarding data to DDPM for disbursement. Names requiring additional conditional verification will remain in the system pending review.

Mr. Ekkapop also noted limitations in Bangkok, stating that because the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has not enabled API data connection with the “Thang Rath” application for home repair and property damage compensation aid, local agencies are asked to urgently verify data and conduct field surveys of damages so eligible victims receive financial assistance thoroughly. He emphasized that damage inspection is the legal duty of local agencies, not DDPM or the bank.

"The government continues to provide aid and restoration to flood victims in all areas continuously, including the southern region where heavy rain persists, with monitoring, alerts, and equipment preparations in place to assist the public to the fullest," the Government Spokesperson reaffirmed.

Photo : Weeraphat Ratsameerueangrong