• Society

Kampong Thom Bears Brunt as Floods Hit Provinces,

• By Lay Sopheavotey
• September 28, 2023 7:30 PM

PHNOM PENH – Provinces across the country have been hit by seasonal flooding with central Kampong Thom suffering the most.

Twenty-eight communes in up to eight of the province districts have been flooded, the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) says.

Continuous rain also caused flash floods in Pursat, Preah Vihear, Tboung Khmum, Kratie, Sihanoukville and Koh Kong.

According to the NCDM report, 5299 families were affected from Sept.16 to 28 in Kampong Thom province where 2,225 houses were flooded, 209 families were evacuated and 3,439 hectares of rice were submerged.

In Preah Vihear province, six towns and districts, consisting of 10 communes, were affected by floods. A hundred and fifty houses were flooded and 35 families were evacuated while 957 hectares of rice fields were flooded. Across the province, a total of 727 families were affected, said the report.

Three towns and districts in Tboung Khmum have also been affected by floods, affecting 825 families and 75 families were evacuated. Separately, 356 hectares of rice fields were flooded.

The flood also hit Kratie province, affecting five towns and districts, of which 27 communes and 270 houses were flooded. Also submerged were 1,028 hectares of rice fields, including about 150 hectares of other crops. In total, 1,610 families were affected by the floods.

Separately, some roads in Sihanoukville and Koh Kong provinces were flooded but the situation had improved, said NCDM spokesperson Soth Kimkol Mony on Sept. 28.

He said there were floods in Viel Veng district in Pursat province. He said that if there was rain on the 28th or 29th, the provincial town would be flooded. But if there was no more rain, the water situation in Pursat would improve.

Mony said local authorities were able to manage the situation and NCDM advised authorities at all levels to be ready to intervene.

He called on people to cooperate and provide information on the flood situation to the authorities to seek help in a timely manner.