The Viets release water from 2 dams causing flood in 2 Ratanakiri districts

25 Sept 2011
By Ratha Visal
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch

On Sunday 25 September 2011, water level on the Sesan River rose and caused flooding in two districts in Ratanakiri province.

The Cambodian authority accused the Vietnamese dam of releasing water from its hydroelectric dam along the Sesan River.

Mrs. Noy Sokhan, a villager in Malik commune, Andong Meas district, said that she noted the water level rising and starting to flood houses and crops on Saturday night and during the night, the water level rose between 30 and 50 centimeters (1 to 2 feet). She added that the district authority announced to the residents living the river to be careful during the beginning of this week because there would be a water release from the Viet dam between 15 and 20 September 2011. “Now, it’s flooding. Houses along the river are flooded. The potatoes, the corn and bean crops along the river are all flooded. The flood just started last night at about 11PM. People were gathering their belonging and loaded their boats since 11PM. Last night the flow was quick, now it slowed down somewhat, but the water does not recede yet.”

Ou Lang, the director of the Cambodian Water Resources department, confirmed that the Viets plan to release more than 500-cubic-meter of water from its hydroelectric dam along the river. He added that flooding from the Sesan River is not much of a concern because the water level is still much lower than the alarm level set at Veunsay measuring station (sic!)

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វៀតណាម​បើក​ទំនប់​វារីអគ្គិសនី​បណ្ដាល​ឲ្យ​ទឹក​ជន់​លិច​២​ស្រុក​នៅ​រតនគិរី

ដោយ រដ្ឋា វីសាល

 2011-09-25

RFA

ទឹក​ទន្លេ​សេសាន្ត​នៅ​ខេត្ត​រតនគិរី នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​អាទិត្យ ទី​២៥ ខែ​កញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ​២០១១ បាន​ជន់​លិច​ភូមិ​ឃុំ​ប្រជា​ពល​រដ្ឋ​ចំនួន​ពីរ​ស្រុក។

Thailand: Mekong countries may ask China for warning on water release

08/20/08
TNA

All six member countries of the Mekong River Commission `MRC` will meet in Laos late next month and Thailand may ask China to provide warnings of the timing and volume of water to be released from its upstream dams as several areas in Thailand and the rest of members of the agency are now battered by severe flooding, a senior Thai official said Wednesday.

Thai Deputy Interior Minister Prasong Kositanond said concerned officials are now studying details of the flooding which has affected Thailand's northern and northeastern provinces during the past few weeks and may ask for improved cooperation from China to send the warning and volume of water to be discharged from its dams.

Without cooperation from China, Thailand's at-risk northeastern provinces of Nong Khai and Nakhon Phanom provinces bordering Laos would face fiercer floods, said Mr. Prasong.

The three Indochina countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, plus Myanmar and China are dialogue partners with Thailand. They are scheduled to meet in the Laotian capital of Vientiane September 25-26.

Thailand's total damage in seven Thai provinces are now estimated at Bt220 million, he said. Officials of the Interior Ministry's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department have been sent to those provinces to assist the flood victims, except in rugged terrain.

Governors of the flood-hit provinces are allowed to disburse Bt50 million from emergency fund to initially help the victims.

Meanwhile, Burachat Buasuwan, the MRC's Thailand coordinator, said at a seminar that the agency's officials last week inspected flooding situation in five northern and northeastern provinces and believed that the waters which overflowed the Mekong river banks was due to heavy rainfall resulting from a low pressure and tropical storm that originated off southern China.

Mr. Burachat said if the flooding was caused by water released from dams in China, it would not recede very quickly.

However, Mr. Burachat said Chinese officials only provided information on water discharged from dams in the rainy season and not during the dry season.

In the past, the MRC officials had requested information from Chinese officials, but it was not forthcoming, Mr. Burachat added, it would be better if the request is made through the governments of the two countries.