More and more, politicians and those in charge of flood control systems are being forced to publicly decide what to do with excess water, and who will suffer as a result. Officials in Thailand, which has been in the grips of record flooding for months, are no exception.

The flooding, which has killed about 400 people since July, has taken a toll on life, property, and the economy. Now, the floodwall system keeping Bangkok’s industrial district dry is itself beginning to rend the delicate fabric of Thai political and social structures.

“I am just hoping this floodwall will break,” Seksan Sonsak, whose house is on the wet side of the wall, told the New York Times. “I understand that you want to save the majority, but no one seems to think of us, the minority.”

Others are doing more than hoping for a break, and taking matters into their own hands to ensure one. Even after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered floodgates lifted about three feet, sabotage to gates, sandbags, and other parts of the flood system continued, according to Reuters. Workers fixed the damage with about 100 police officers standing guard.

“We are here doing the repair work and the police are protecting us,” city administration spokesman Jate Sopitpongstorn told Reuters. “They have to accept it.”

Sabotage aside, the situation is similar to that faced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in May, when officials had to decide whether to flood many acres of valuable farm land to save Cairo, Illinois. In the Thai case, however, choosing residences over industry would have worldwide impacts. Flooding has already caused computer hard drive prices to soar (Thailand is the world's second largest hard drive exporter) and the country’s contribution to global supply chains isn’t limited to electronics. It’s also the main producer of Honda parts and the world’s largest rice producer.

“The cut off in supply chain links, where Thailand plays a major role in the manufacture of components for electronics, auto assembly lines and textiles, has had a particularly devastating impact,” according to a report in Insurance Journal.

Those effects and a recent Aon Benfield report that put the preliminary damage at about US$6.5 billion were assessed while Bangkok remained dry. And so far, inner Bangkok and the city’s Bang Chan industrial sector have been safe despite Yingluck's Tuesday lifting of the floodgates. But months of extreme weather and increasing political pressure to let more water through have left citizens and investors wary of the city's ultimate fate. Still, saving the city is the primary objective, Jate told Agence France Presse.

“Bangkok is the heart,” he said. “You can cut your hand but you have to save your heart, because if your heart fails, everything fails.”