Last updated: 8 Oct 2026 | 12 Views |
Residents of Soi Maliland, Khlong 11, Nong Sam Wang subdistrict, Nong Suea district, Pathum Thani province, have lived with floodwater since late September 2026, for more than ten days. The still water began to darken and smell rotten, and leeches became so common that people feared stepping in. As pumps finally start lowering the level, the question is when a home soaked in stagnant water this long can be lived in safely again. This guide explains the flood germs typical of long-standing water like Nong Suea's, where they hide indoors, who is at risk, how to protect yourself, and the role of a professional disinfection spraying service once the sludge and stains have been washed out.
Khaosod reported on 5 October 2026 that Soi Maliland, Khlong 11, Nong Sam Wang, Nong Suea had been flooded since 25 to 26 September, for more than 10 days. Around 134 residents were still in the area, the standing water had begun to rot, and leeches were abundant. The report said the water came from Ongkharak district in Nakhon Nayok, overflowing the Khlong 14 irrigation canal into the area. Pumping had lowered the level by about 30 percent, and a clear drop was expected within 2 days.
Nationally, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) data published by the Government Public Relations Department as of 06:00 on 7 October 2026 listed 27 provinces plus Bangkok affected, covering 123 districts, 984 subdistricts, 1,154,875 households and more than 3.1 million people. Figures change daily, so follow updates from Nong Suea district, local authorities and Pathum Thani province.
The special danger here is that the water did not pass through; it sat still in the soi and inside homes for over ten days. With no flow, sunken plants, rubbish, food and sewage decompose, oxygen in the water falls, a rotten-egg smell develops, and many bacteria multiply. Leeches give people who must wade small wounds on their legs, an easy entry point for germs. After the water drains, black sediment, slime and trapped moisture remain in the house for a long time.
Note: this is a typical scenario based on situations commonly seen during long floods. It is not a real person's account and does not describe any family in Soi Maliland.
Nid and her husband rent a single-storey house in a soi near Khlong 11. Both work in factories and care for her seventy-year-old father, who has diabetes. When water entered the soi on the night of 25 September, they lifted the fridge, TV and mattress onto tables, expecting the water to drop in two or three days. A week later it was still knee-deep inside, with no sign of falling.
From about the seventh day, the water turned dark, an oily film formed on top, and the smell grew stronger each afternoon. Her husband waded out to collect relief bags and came back with several leeches on his calves; the small bites oozed blood and itched, and a few days later some were red and swollen. Nid developed red, gritty eyes, while her father's old foot wound began to smell.
When rescuers arrived by boat, the family was told to get the father to a doctor first, since a person with diabetes and a wound soaked in dirty water is at high risk, and to prepare for a house that would be left with black sediment on floors, slime on walls, a fridge full of spoiled food after the long power cut, and a smell in every room. Recovering from a long flood does not end with sweeping out water. It starts with understanding what ten days of rotting water left behind.
More than ten days of standing water in a residential soi stacks several risks: no flow, septic tanks out of action, spoiled food indoors, wounds from leeches and wading, and moisture soaking into building materials. Below are the key germs to know. This is general prevention information, not treatment advice. Anyone who feels unwell should see a doctor.
How the flood spreads it: as surrounding land stays flooded, rats from fields and drains climb into roofs, ceilings and storage piles. Their urine in still water is barely diluted or carried away.
Where it hides afterwards: wet sediment on floors, door sills, under beds, behind cupboards, and where rats sheltered, such as ceilings and storerooms.
Symptoms and risk: sudden high fever, headache, marked calf pain and red eyes, usually within about 2 to 30 days. People who wade for relief supplies, have leech bites, or clean without protection are most at risk.
Prevention: tall rubber boots and gloves, wounds covered before wading, a clean-water wash afterwards, and a doctor's visit for any fever, mentioning flood exposure.
How the flood spreads it: septic tanks in the soi stopped working throughout the flood, so waste slowly seeped into water that never moved. The longer it sat, the more contamination built up. E. coli signals faecal pollution and usually arrives with related germs.
Where it hides afterwards: black sediment on floors, bathrooms, drains, kitchen sinks, buckets and items reused without washing.
Symptoms and risk: diarrhoea, cramps and nausea; some strains cause bloody diarrhoea. Children, older adults and people with chronic illness dehydrate quickly.
Prevention: never use floodwater for dishes or washing your face, drink safe water, wash hands before eating, and discard what cannot be cleaned.
How the flood spreads it: Aeromonas lives naturally in fresh water and multiplies in warm, still water rich in organic matter, like the water standing in Khlong 11. Medical reports have also found this group of bacteria in some leech species, so leech bites and grazes from wading deserve careful attention.
Where it hides afterwards: puddles inside and around the house, buckets, plant pots and surfaces still coated in slime.
Symptoms and risk: wounds that become swollen, red, hot and rapidly more painful, or diarrhoea after swallowing contaminated water. People with diabetes, liver disease or weak immunity are at higher risk.
Prevention: avoid wading with wounds, wash any wound with soap and clean water as soon as you leave the water, and see a doctor if redness spreads or fever appears.
How the flood spreads it: both bacteria live harmlessly on many people's skin or throat. But when skin softens from soaking, leech bites ooze and itch, and dirty fingers scratch them, the bacteria can cause infection beneath the skin.
Where it hides afterwards: shared towels, damp bed sheets, cleaning gloves and fingernails.
Symptoms and risk: red, hot, tender, spreading skin, pus or fever. People with diabetes, older adults and those with chronic foot wounds must be especially careful.
Prevention: do not yank leeches off forcefully, clean and cover bites, avoid scratching, keep nails short, do not share towels, and see a doctor if a wound gets worse.
How the flood spreads it: homes without power for over ten days, or with power cut for safety, lose the fresh food in their fridges. Salmonella that may come with raw meat, eggs and other foods multiplies, and as spoiled liquids leak out or floodwater spreads them, the germs reach kitchen surfaces.
Where it hides afterwards: inside fridges and freezers, door seals, drip trays, counters, chopping boards and bins.
Symptoms and risk: fever, diarrhoea, cramps and vomiting within hours to a few days. Children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weak immunity can become more seriously ill.
Prevention: throw away food from a fridge that lost power for a long time without tasting it, wash the fridge with clean water and detergent, then disinfect before use. According to WHD product information, Salmonella is one of the organisms CHEMGENE HLD4H is stated to cover.
How the flood spreads it: Cryptosporidium is a single-celled parasite from human and animal faeces. Long-standing water contaminated with sewage can carry it in water and sediment. Its tough outer shell tolerates chlorine at normal household levels far better than many bacteria.
Where it hides afterwards: water jars and tanks, flooded containers, children's toys and surfaces with leftover sediment.
Symptoms and risk: watery diarrhoea, cramps and nausea lasting several days. People with very weak immunity, such as those on immune-suppressing medicines, may be ill longer and more severely.
Prevention: drink boiled or bottled water, scrub sediment off containers completely before disinfecting, because thorough washing matters most for this parasite, and wash hands with soap often.
How the flood spreads it: Thai health authorities frequently warn about conjunctivitis ("ta daeng") during floods. Common causes are adenoviruses and enteroviruses, spread by hands touching tears or eye discharge and by shared towels. Dirty water splashing into the eyes also makes irritation and infection more likely.
Where it hides afterwards: face towels, pillowcases, door knobs, rails and shared phones.
Symptoms and risk: red, gritty, watery eyes with discharge and sometimes swollen lids. It spreads easily within families and among people sheltering together.
Prevention: do not rub your eyes, wash hands often, keep towels and pillowcases separate, wash your face only with clean water, and see a doctor for eye pain, blurred vision or no improvement.
How the flood spreads it: tetanus spores live in soil and animal dung. Long-standing water leaves thick black sediment, and people wading where they cannot see the ground are more likely to step on nails, glass or scrap metal.
Where it hides afterwards: sediment at the front of the house, parking areas, washed-in rubbish and flooded building materials.
Symptoms and risk: infection can cause muscle stiffness and a locked jaw, which needs urgent care. People never vaccinated, or vaccinated long ago, are at risk.
Prevention: wear thick-soled boots, and after any cut from muddy debris, wash the wound and see a doctor about tetanus vaccination.
How the flood spreads it: residents stuck in the soi waded repeatedly to collect supplies, move sick relatives and check their homes. Feet soaked in foul water soften and crack, letting dermatophyte fungi such as Trichophyton, and bacteria, take hold.
Where it hides afterwards: damp shoes, socks, doormats and bathroom floors.
Symptoms and risk: itching, stinging, peeling, white soggy skin between toes, odour and sometimes infected sores. People with diabetes, whose foot sensation may be reduced, can miss wounds.
Prevention: wash feet with soap and clean water, dry between the toes, check feet daily, especially with diabetes, and see a doctor for open sores or pus.
How the flood spreads it: plaster walls, gypsum board, wooden doors and furniture soaked for over ten days hold a great deal of moisture, and Pathum Thani's warm, humid air makes spores sprout fast once the water drains. CDC advises cleaning and drying quickly after floods to limit mold.
Where it hides afterwards: walls below the tide line, behind gypsum board, under laminate floors, particleboard cupboards, mattresses, sofas and low-mounted air conditioners.
Symptoms and risk: irritated nose, eyes and throat, coughing, sneezing and asthma flare-ups. People with allergies, lung disease or weak immunity face higher risk, including Aspergillus lung infection.
Prevention: remove porous materials that soaked up rotting water, such as lower gypsum panels and mattresses, scrub hard surfaces, dry the house, and wear an N95 mask and gloves during removal. According to WHD service information, fungi are among the groups the service is stated to cover. If the rotten smell lingers in the air, residential ozone disinfection can be added.
Rotting water leaves two things behind: sediment and slime where germs shelter, and moisture that keeps them alive. WHO and CDC advise cleaning flood-contaminated surfaces first, then disinfecting. In homes soaked in stagnant water, scrubbing out sediment matters even more, because some organisms, such as Cryptosporidium, tolerate many disinfectants. Washing is the first barrier; thorough spraying is the second.
According to WHD product and service information, CHEMGENE HLD4H is stated to cover organisms including Salmonella, norovirus, RSV, influenza, hand-foot-and-mouth virus and mycobacteria, plus bacteria and fungi in general. For Leptospira, E. coli, Aeromonas, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, adenovirus and the others listed, this article makes no organism-specific test claim; they belong to the bacteria, virus or fungi groups the product says it covers. Parasites like Cryptosporidium rely mainly on washing and boiling water. Ask WHD for test data on any specific organism.
Health: risks stack up, from leech bites and diarrhoea to conjunctivitis and indoor mold. Older people with diabetes and young children are usually hit first.
Costs: homes soaked in rotting water usually lose more belongings than in a short flood, including mattresses, sofas and particleboard furniture, and mold spreading into walls adds repair bills.
Work and smell: many families here work in factories or trade, so days lost to the flood or to caring for the sick cut income directly. A rotten smell trapped in the house keeps people awake and doubtful that it is truly clean. A step-by-step recovery restores confidence.
Sweeping water out and letting things dry: the thin black film left on floors and walls is where germs collect. Unless it is scrubbed off, moisture brings the smell and mold back.
Strong bleach to mask the smell: a strong chlorine smell does not mean thorough disinfection. Bleach loses strength in heavy organic sediment, and it must never be mixed with toilet cleaners or ammonia.
Incense or air freshener: the rotten smell comes from decomposition products; masking it removes nothing and may irritate airways further.
Painting right away: walls soaked for ten days stay damp inside, and early paint lets mold grow underneath and blister the finish.
What works is scrubbing sediment off with clean water and detergent, removing materials that soaked up rotting water, drying the house, then spraying every room systematically.
World Health Disinfection (WHD) is based in Bang Khae, Bangkok 10160, with no branch in Nong Suea, but jobs in Pathum Thani and upcountry are arranged by phone and LINE after assessing the area, soi access and schedule. According to WHD service information, trained technicians spray and/or apply Ultra Low Volume (ULV) fine mist using CHEMGENE HLD4H, a medical-grade disinfectant from the United Kingdom containing Benzalkonium Chloride and Didecyldimethylammonium Chloride.
We do not claim the product leaves no residue; fridge interiors, food containers and toys should be rinsed again as advised. According to service information, customers receive a free CHEMGENE spray bottle and WELLGIENIC wet wipes, and a tax invoice is available. Price and date follow assessment. Learn more about CHEMGENE HLD4H.
Results depend on the home, cleaning beforehand and moisture control afterwards. Spraying does not replace repairs or medical care.
Does WHD work in Nong Suea?
WHD is in Bang Khae, Bangkok, with no Nong Suea branch, but Pathum Thani jobs are arranged through 065-556-6294 or LINE @whd268 after assessment. Same-day service cannot be promised.
Will the rotten smell go after spraying?
Most of it comes from sediment and soaked materials, which must be scrubbed and removed first. If smell lingers in the air, residential ozone disinfection can be added.
I have a fever after leech bites. Does spraying help?
Fever or infected wounds need a doctor. Spraying reduces germs on surfaces at home; it is not treatment and does not prevent infection from wading outside.
Does the disinfectant work on Leptospira or E. coli?
Neither is named in the product information, but both are bacteria, within the group the product says it covers. Ask the team for organism-specific test data.
Send photos of your Khlong 11 home for assessment, then plan spraying once the sediment is scrubbed out.
Call 065-556-6294 | LINE @whd268
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