Sunday, October 04, 2009

More destruction expected for typhoon-hit Cambodia: Oxfam

PHNOM PENH, Oct 03, 2009 (Xinhua) -- Oxfam predicts more widespread destruction caused by Typhoon Ketsana and a higher demand for immediate humanitarian assistance in Cambodia, press release from the Oxfam international said here Saturday.

An initial assessment shows that at least 17 people died and 47 others injured in Kampong Thom alone due to the effects of the Typhoon, which brought unusually high volume of rainfall to the Southeast Asian country, it said.

It added Kompong Thom is not the only affected province. At least eight more provinces were affected with Preah Vihear, Steung Treng and Kratie being severely affected. Therefore, the worst has yet to come as the rising water levels continue to ravage these provinces, and a larger destruction is underway.

"The floods are affecting more people and wider areas of the country than we initially estimated," said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam International in Cambodia.

"Greater cooperation and immediate action on the part of humanitarian agencies in the country is increasingly important to ensure that groups with different kinds of emergency needs and vulnerabilities such as women, children, elderly, and people with disabilities and HIV/AIDS are prioritized," said the release.

There is a high risk that more lives will be lost, more families and livestock will be displaced, houses collapsed, roads, bridges, hospital and school buildings damaged. Public health concerns are making their way to some evacuation areas due to lack of sanitation.

An early damage estimate of more than 30,000 hectares of rice paddy and crops could be doubled or even tripled as flood waters continue to rise. This could cause a severe crop failure for Cambodia's largely farming population, according to the release.

Oxfam's staff reported that water levels increased half a meter in Preah Vihear Friday night, causing the already evacuated population to struggle even harder. Up to 4,000 families or 20,000 people were affected in Preah Vihear compared to just 100 families a week ago.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

MY condolences TO all poor people khmer.

"life is suffering"Buddha

Anonymous said...

We Khmer are poor but very proud, because our identity is Khmer. We have our own culture-religion, our onw language and of course we live on our Khmer soil from our great Ancestors.
Who said, Khmer Loeu, Khmer Krom and Khmer born in Cambodia are not Khmer descents ?

Anonymous said...

I DON"T KNOW!!!!! Go ask some body else!

Anonymous said...

ANH Tha! do mai, anh has PhD!