Cambodia: Sam Eun And Family Make Flood Comeback

Life has been very distressing for many Cambodians since severe flooding hit the country in 2011. And yet in part thanks to WFP Food-for-Assets project, there are some encouraging signs of recovery

21 May 2012 09:42

Source: Content partner // World Food Programme

PREY VENG -- With a big smile on his face, 50 year-old Min Sam Eun waits patiently for his name to be called out by the WFP team. We are in Yuos village, Sithor Kandal District, Prey Veng Province, at the first food distribution WFP is carrying out as part of its EMOP (Emergency Operation) Food-for-Assets project in the area. Like all participants in the distribution today, Sam Eun's family faces a daily struggle to put enough food on the table after being severely affected by last year's floods, the worst in a decade. Floods have been a rarity in this particular area as the common seasonal threat has in fact been drought. Both Sam Eun's rice production and his livestock were devastated by the floodwaters, leaving his family of five (his wafe, a daughter and two sons) all but destitute.

ជុតិមា ជំនាញ​រក​តំបន់​អភិវឌ្ឍន៍ តែ​មិន​រវល់​ពេល​ភ្លៀង​ទឹក​លិច

រថ​យន្ត​បើក​កាត់​ផ្លូវ​ទឹក​លិច​ នៅ​ម្តុំ​ផ្សារ​កណ្តាល ​ក្រោយ​ពី​មាន​ភ្លៀង កាល​ពី​សប្តាហ៍​មុន។ រូបថត ហុង មិនា

ជុតិមា ហៅ អាជុក

Monday, 21 May 2012
តុង សុប្រាជ្ញ
The Phnom Penh Post

«ចុំ​កណ្តុំ​ឆែប​ រួច​ចុះ​ព្រឹក​នេះ​នរណា​យក​ទន្លេ​មក​ដាក់​មុខ​ផ្ទះ​យើង​!​ ប៉ា​? ទេ​!​ ទេ!​ មិន​មាន​ទន្លេ​មក​ពី​ណា​ទេ​កូន​ គឺ​មក​ពី​ភ្លៀង​ធ្លាក់​មួយ​មេ​ធំ​សល់​ពី​យប់​មិញ​ដូច​រាល់​ដង​ទេ​តើ​!​»។ ចុះ​ហេតុ​អ្វី​បាន​ឲ្យ​តែ​ភ្លៀង​ម្តងៗ រាជធានី​ភ្នំពេញ​ ចេះ​តែ​លិច​កាន់​តែ​ច្រើន​ឡើងៗ ស្ទើរ​តែ​គ្រប់​ទីកន្លែង​អ៊ីចឹង​?

សព្វ​ថ្ងៃ​នេះ ​ឲ្យ​តែ​ភ្លៀង​ធ្លាក់​ម្តងៗ​ នៅ​ភ្នំពេញ​ «ជា​ទីក្រុង​ដ៏​ស្រស់​ប្រិមប្រិយ​» (ជា​ទិស​ស្លោក​ដែល​ដាក់​ចេញ​ដោយ​អាជ្ញាធរ​រាជធានី) គឺ​លិច​ទឹក​ ប្រៀប​ដូច​ជា​ទីក្រុង​លិច​ទឹក​មួយ​នៅ​ប្រទេស​អ៊ីតាលី​ឈ្មោះ​វេណេស្យា (Venezia)​ ដែល​លិច​សព្វ​កន្លែង​នោះ​។​ មួយ​សប្តាហ៍​កន្លង​ទៅ​នេះ ​គឺ​ទាំង​លិច​ដក់​ទឹក​នៅ​តាម​មហា​វិថី និង​វិថី​សំខាន់ៗ​ដូច​ជា​ នៅ​ម្តុំ​ម៉ុងឌីយ៉ាល់ ​ផ្លូវ​កម្ពុជា​ក្រោម​ ម្តុំ​ផ្សារ​ដេប៉ូ​ ម្តុំ​វត្តសំពៅ​មាស​ មុខ​វត្ត​មហាមន្ត្រី ផ្សារ​អូរឫស្សី ​ ផ្សារ​ចាស់​ ផ្សារ​កណ្តាល​ ម្តុំ​វត្តភ្នំ​ រហូត​ដល់​ជុំវិញ​ព្រះ​បរមរាជវាំង ដែល​ព្រះ​ករុណា​គង់​នៅ ព្រម​ទាំង​នៅ​តាម​តំបន់​ផ្សេង​ទៀត ហើយ​កន្លែង​ខ្លះ​គឺ​ក្មេងៗ​អាច​ហែល​លេង​បាន​។​

ជា​ផលវិបាក​ចម្បង​ ដែល​កើត​ចេញ​ពី​ផ្លូវ​នានា ត្រូវ​ទឹក​លិច​នេះ ​គឺ

ទី ១).​ ធ្វើ​ឲ្យ​កាន់​តែ​ស្ទះ​ចរាចរណ៍ ​


ទី ២)​. រំខាន​ដល់​ការ​ធ្វើ​ដំណើរ​ ដោយ​យាន​យន្ត​ល្មមៗ​រលត់​ម៉ាស៊ីន​ឈឹង​តែ​ម្តង​


ទី ៣).​ ទឹក​សម្អុយ​ចេញ​ពី​លូ​ ដែល​កក​ស្ទះ​ខ្លះ ដោយ​មក​ទាំង​សំរាម​ ទាំង​លាមក​អណ្តែត​ត្រា​ ពេញ​ថ្នល់​ និង​ចូល​ផ្ទះ​សម្បែង​របស់​ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ​មួយ​ចំនួន​ធំ​ ​


ទី ៤). ខូច​ខាត​ផ្លូវ​ថ្នល់​គឺ​ឆាប់​ក្រហេង​ក្រហូង​...។​

Philippines flash floods death toll nears 1,500

Officials are working to rehouse residents sheltering in temporary evacuation centres

27 December 2011BBC News

Almost 1,500 people are now known to have died in flash floods that struck the southern Philippines more than a week ago.

Officials say more bodies had been found in the waters south of the island of Mindanao.

It is not clear how many people are still missing but officials say the search for bodies will continue.

Typhoon Washi struck from 16 to 18 December, devastating the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

How my son drowned in flood-hit Cambodia: a mother’s story

Mao Sophat, whose two-year-old son drowned in September in Kampong Kramourn village in Cambodia's Prey Veng province, sits next to her grandmother. ALERTNET/Thin Lei Win

08 Dec 2011
By Thin Lei Win

PREY VENG, Cambodia (AlertNet) – When floods devastated Cambodia and killed close to 250 people this year, almost half of the casualties were children under 17 years of age. Many died as a result of drowning.

While infants are protected by their mothers, once they are old enough to walk, drowning becomes a major hazard and it is the single leading cause of death for children older than one in Cambodia, according to SwimSafe, a programme run by The Alliance for Safe Children.

AlertNet spoke to Mao Sophat, a 23-year-old mother whose two-year-old son drowned in September in Kampong Kramourn village in Prey Veng, one of the provinces most affected by the floods.

Floods deepen poverty for rural Cambodians

Chhoet Choeun, 75, in her flood-damaged home in Tamoul village in Prey Veng province, South Cambodia, where she struggles to provide for the three grandchildren who are in her care. ALERTNET/Thin Lei Win

08 Dec 2011
By Thin Lei Win

PREY VENG, Cambodia (AlertNet) – Chhoet Choeun was already living precariously, having sold her land to pay for her husband’s medical bills a year ago.

The 75-year-old widow had been providing for herself and a 14-year-old granddaughter by planting peas on the small plot of land behind her shed and selling them for up to 30,000 Riel ($7.50) every three months.

Then the worst floods Cambodian had seen for more than a decade struck in August. At Chhoet Choeun’s tiny, rickety hut, built two metres (6.6) above the ground on stilts in Tamoul village in Prey Veng province, the water rose to knee level.

Flood Victims Fear Lean Year Ahead

Friday, 11 November 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Kampong Thom, Cambodia

“I’ll lack food and I’ll face poverty.”

Sen Simon, 36, gazed at her flooded rice field and home from high ground in Kampong Thom province’s Baray commune.

Her daily food and other necessities were taken care of by the government, but she saw little hope for her future, after severe flooding inundated the area last month. Five thousand square meters of her rice crop was spoiled by the flooding, which would make next year tough, she said.

“I’ll lack food and I’ll face poverty,” she said. “It’s difficult to think of what I’ll do in the upcoming year.”

Sen Simon is among tens of thousands of Cambodians displaced by severe flooding across the country, in Cambodia’s largest natural disaster in a decade. At least 250 people have been killed in the flooding, and another 1.5 million affected one way or another, according to the government’s disaster agency. At last count, nearly 400,000 hectares of crops had been damaged.

“My house is flooded,” said Som Vanthon, 56, another resident of Baray commune. “When the water recedes, my house will collapse, because the pillars, bamboo floor and palm-leafed walls will break.”

In the commune’s Chaktuk Lork village, residents have received aid packages containing 10 kilograms of rice, 20 packets of instant noodles, salt, fish sauce, blankets, mosquito nets and fishing nets from the government.

Floods cause 70 mln USD in damage in Cambodia

October 20 2010
Xinhua

Storms that drenched 13 provinces over the past 10 days caused an estimated 70 million US dollars in damage, destroyed thousands of hectares of rice paddy and killed at least eight people, local media reported on Tuesday, citing local officials.

"The first cost estimate may be almost half of last year's destruction caused by typhoon Ketsana, which was 131 million US dollars," the Cambodia Daily quoted Nhim Vanda, vice chairman for the National Committee for Disaster Management as saying.

He added that the 70 million US dollars would go toward rebuilding roads, irrigation system, bridges and villagers' homes.

"The most affected areas are Pursat province, Phnom Penh municipality and Banteay Meanchey province," Vanda said.

He estimated about 10,000 hectares of rice paddy fields across the country were also destroyed.

Deaths attributed to recent storms climbed to eight after a 5- year-old Preah Sihanouk boy was confirmed drowned at sea during heavy winds on Saturday, Stung Hav district governor Ban Sarun was quoted as saying.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that floods that affects the country in recent weeks has caused more damage than Typhoon Ketsana last year.

Cambodia's PM: floods causes more damages than Ketsana last year

October 18 2010
Source: Xinhua

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that floods that affects the country in recent weeks has caused more damages than Typhoon Ketsana last year.

Delivering speech to graduate students, Hun Sen said preliminary reports showed that floods that caused by heavy rains in the country have affected more damages than Typhoon Ketsana last year that hit several provinces.

He said at least four people have been killed by floods and at least 9,000 hectares of rice fields have been damaged.

But, he said total loss and damages caused by floods are being figured out.

Typhoon Ketsana hit Cambodia last September and the estimates of 100,000 people were affected by the floods and 15,000 households were in need of food assistance.

Keo Vy, communication officer of National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) said this year's floods have hit 12 provinces and a city.

Flash floods hit Thai-Cambodian border markets, checkpoints

BANGKOK, Oct 9 (TNA) - Flash floods from the hills along Thai-Cambodian border in Thailand’s eastern provinces poured into the market at a checkpoint for border trade between the two neighbouring countries, more than 200 vendors were affected by the inundation which caused damage estimated at over Bt30 million (US$850,000).

Runoff floods from Cambodia’s Phnom Preuk hill in Battambang province and Khao Ta Ngok in Thailand's Sa Kaeo province combined with flash flooding from Khao Soi Dao in Chanthaburi which flowed into the Thai-Cambodian checkpoint for border trade at Ban Sub Taree and at Ban Suan Som in Soi Dao district of Chanthaburi.

The markets at both checkpoints were submerged, with border traders rushing to transfer their goods and products to higher ground as the water level is likely to continue to rise.

Flash floods also hit the 522th Marine Company base near the border.

There were no reports of casualties.

Flooding: Alert issued in a dozen of provinces

Flooding in Chhbar Ampov in 2006 (Photo: Cambodge Soir)

24-09-2007
By Kong Sothanarith
Cambodge Soir
Translated from French by Luc Sâr

The authorities sent warnings to the population in a dozen provinces to alert them about the risk of flooding and the intense rains forecasted for the next few days.

The ministry of water resources and meteorology warned on Saturday 22 September about the risk of flooding. The ministry announced in its communiqué: “based the climate condition and the water level condition of the Mekong River, the population in the following regions are advised to follow up on the flooding risks: Cardamom (Phnom Kravanh) region, the Prek Thnot river basin, the province of Kampong Speu, along National Road No. 4, in the provinces of Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Preah Vihear, and provinces bordering the Mekong River: Stung Treng, Kratie, and Kampong Cham.” The message indicated that the kingdom is under the influence of a low pressure system, and that of another low pressure system north of the Philippines. “Even though it is sunny right mow, it could rain in the next few days to come. The villagers are advised to pay attention,” Mao Hak, the director of the department of hydrology, said. Cambodia knew a lot of flooding caused by the rain in August. The provinces of Ratanakiri, Stung Treng, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom sustained major damages. The bad weather caused the death of 3 victims, flooded some 30,000-hectare of rice fields, and damaged several roads by cutting them. The government estimates the cost of the damages to some ten million of dollars.