Governance beyond the government: Responding to a reactionary flood governance regime in Ayutthaya, Thailand

• Flood governance in Ayutthaya is reactionary and ineffective.
• Decentralization of flood governance in Thailand is underdeveloped.
• Various grassroots actors form flood networks to cope with future floods.
• People alter homes and enact strategies of mutual aid in preparation for floods.
• Further decentralization took place because of the local government's inadequacy.

The 2011 flood has left a deep impression on many in Thailand. Many in Ayutthaya, the capital city of Ayutthaya province, remember it as the worst flood in living memory. While the central government was generally faulted for the apparent neglect of Ayutthaya at the expense of Bangkok, anger was largely directed towards the local government for releasing misleading and conflicting information prior to the flood, and lacking organization during the event. With the 2011 flood as the empirical anchor, this paper reveals the reactive nature of the decentralized disaster governance in Ayutthaya, and argues that this is an extension of the flood management strategy endorsed by the central government. I will further show that without the involvement of non-state actors, it would had been even more difficult, if not impossible, for the local government to cope with the 2011 flood. While the local government has since established a disaster management office, beyond the (small) monetary compensation many received after the 2011 flood, there have been few actions involving the people have taken place. This reinforces the sense of a largely reactionary flood governance regime.Next, I argue that this perceived lack of initiatives on the part of the local government has engendered further decentralization of flood governance in the small city of Ayutthaya. In their preparation for future floods, the people of Ayutthaya are enacting a form of flood governance with little involvement from the local government. Reclaiming their roles in the flood management process, people are developing personalized and neighbourhood-based adaptive strategies for dealing with future floods. This involves the establishment of informal networks for shelter and the distribution of supplies in case of future floods. In light of this, somewhat ironically, the inadequacies of the local government have productively encouraged the active participation of the people in flood management.