Rachel Harvey says a village just north of Bangkok is waist-deep in water
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has sought to reassure Bangkok residents, as efforts continue to protect the city from the country's worst floods in decades.
Ms Yingluck said flood walls would protect the city centre and it should be considered safe. Her comments came after an evacuation warning for some suburbs issued by a minister sparked panic.
Northern and central provinces bore the brunt of the flooding initially but the run-off is now swelling waterways that flow south into Bangkok.
Authorities there have warned that the arrival of the run-off water, plus high tides and bad weather at the weekend, could flood parts of the city.
'Dangerous time'
Flooding has already inundated parts of Pathum Thani, a town directly north of Bangkok.
Central Bangkok is protected by flood walls and in recent days, teams of troops and volunteers have been racing to fill sandbags to fortify existing dykes.
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In front of me is the main Chao Phraya river which runs through Bangkok. It goes right through the historic old town and at this point it has already burst its banks.
There's a village that is on the embankments there and it's been completely flooded. People are wading through in water up to their chests.
AT THE SCENE
I'm standing on the top of one of the embankments that have been built to try and hold the water back but it's already seeping through at the bottom and the water level has risen almost to the top of the embankment.In front of me is the main Chao Phraya river which runs through Bangkok. It goes right through the historic old town and at this point it has already burst its banks.
There's a village that is on the embankments there and it's been completely flooded. People are wading through in water up to their chests.
Some people I've spoken to say they haven't had any help, they're running out of food and there is a main road over the river which is completely gridlocked.
It's one of the main arterial routes north but, because the road is flooded, beyond this point everything is getting choked and that's causing additional problems.
"In conclusion, Bangkok should still be considered safe," she said.
Late on Thursday, Science Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi said that northern suburbs were at risk of flooding because a floodgate had burst, causing some residents to leave.
But the government later issued a call for calm, saying the breach would not affect Bangkok.
"During 15 to 18 October, it may be a dangerous time because water from the north will be coming in... But I confirm it has not reached a crisis stage as of this moment," said Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra.
Officials in charge of managing the floods say they plan to divert the water through canals to the east and west of Bangkok and then on to the sea.
The main canals are being dredged to help water flow out to sea. Troops are also digging out other canals to improve water flow, a government spokesman said.
Sandbags have been distributed to residents in villages within the drainage area, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported.
The flooding has been gathering pace for weeks. More than 280 people have been killed and Thailand's economy has been hit hard because factories are under water.
The city of Ayutthaya, a World Heritage site home to temples and monuments, has been particularly badly affected.
Neighbouring Cambodia has also been hit hard by floods, which have been triggered by heavy monsoon rains. Almost 250 people have been killed since the flooding began, with 17 out of 23 provinces affected.
It's one of the main arterial routes north but, because the road is flooded, beyond this point everything is getting choked and that's causing additional problems.
"Bangkok may face some problems in areas that are on the outer sides of the irrigation dykes but water levels will not be too high. But inner Bangkok has extremely high defences," Ms Yingluck said.
Late on Thursday, Science Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi said that northern suburbs were at risk of flooding because a floodgate had burst, causing some residents to leave.
But the government later issued a call for calm, saying the breach would not affect Bangkok.
"During 15 to 18 October, it may be a dangerous time because water from the north will be coming in... But I confirm it has not reached a crisis stage as of this moment," said Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra.
Officials in charge of managing the floods say they plan to divert the water through canals to the east and west of Bangkok and then on to the sea.
The main canals are being dredged to help water flow out to sea. Troops are also digging out other canals to improve water flow, a government spokesman said.
Large parts of the World Heritage city of Ayutthaya are under water
The flooding has been gathering pace for weeks. More than 280 people have been killed and Thailand's economy has been hit hard because factories are under water.
The city of Ayutthaya, a World Heritage site home to temples and monuments, has been particularly badly affected.
Neighbouring Cambodia has also been hit hard by floods, which have been triggered by heavy monsoon rains. Almost 250 people have been killed since the flooding began, with 17 out of 23 provinces affected.
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BBC