28 October 2011 Last updated at 07:15 ET

In pictures: Waters threaten Bangkok

People sit with their belongings at a bus station as they wait to move out of Bangkok on Friday

Residents are leaving Bangkok amid official warnings the Thai capital could be inundated this weekend, when floodwaters flowing south from the Thai plains meet high tides. Roads leading out of the city are clogged with traffic, and bus stations are full of waiting passengers.

A Buddhist monk walks in a flooded street to collect morning alms outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Friday

Flooding of some central parts of the city seems inevitable: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has warned it is impossible to resist "the force of nature" entirelyHer novice administration has faced criticism for failing to co-ordinate effectively with the municipal authorities.

Pigeons fly over Chao Phraya river in Bangkok on Friday

Bangkok's main Chao Phraya river is now swollen and threatening to overwhelm its embankments.

A woman moves her pots as floods advance into a market outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Friday

Some central areas along the Chao Phraya river - such as this market close to the Grand Palace - are already seeing some flooding, but the waters tend to recede after high tide.

A man pushes dogs in a container through floodwaters in Bangkok on Friday

There is localised flooding, but so far flood defences have held. The big concern is that those defences could be overcome, and the heart of the city swamped. Authorities are said to be considering one proposal to dig additional drainage channels on several roads leading to the sea.

A 42-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Chatchawal Phuengwut poses with a python he caught in floodwaters just outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Friday

The floodwaters can carry surprises - this taxi driver says he caught this python in water just outside the Grand Palace.

These backpackers smiled as they braved the water, but Thailand's crucial tourism industry is expected to suffer. That will add weight to predictions of lower than expected annual economic growth.

People sleep at a bus station as they wait to move out of Bangkok on Friday

For many Thais, it is now a waiting game as they queue to leave Bangkok ahead of what could be a month of flood-related disruption.

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In pictures: Waters threaten Bangkok

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