Families flee Cambodia flooding

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY8oOGzMg5k

Flash floods hit Cambodia's NW province, affecting about 3,000 families

Xinhua | 2012-9-19

About 3,000 families in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province bordering with Thailand have been suffering from floodwaters and local authorities have been advised to be on high alert to respond to the disaster, a senior government official said Wednesday.

"About 700 families who are severely affected by the flooding have been evacuated to higher ground," the first Vice-President of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), Nhim Vanda told Xinhua over telephone.

"They are all safe, there is no report of death so far," he said. "Local authorities and Cambodian Red Cross volunteers are on high alert to rescue people in case of more flooding."

Floods kill 158 in Thailand, 61 in Cambodia

BANGKOK, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The death toll from flooding in Thailand since mid-July has risen to 158, while 61 people have died in neighbouring Cambodia in the past two weeks, authorities in the two countries said on Monday.

More than 2 million acres of farmland in Thailand are now under water, an area 11 times the size of Singapore.

"Twenty-three provinces in the lower north and central Thailand are under water and nearly 2 million people have been affected by severe floods and heavy rain," Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said.

Flooding has also affected the capital, Bangkok, which sits only two metres above sea level. The Chao Phraya river has overflowed into roads in some areas, although the authorities have reinforced its banks to prevent serious flooding.

Major flooding in Cambodia, water level as high as the level in 2000

លោក​រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី លឹម គានហោ បង្ហាញ​ពី​ក្រាហ្វិក​ទឹក​ជំនន់​នៅ​កម្ពុជា

RFA/Hang Savyouth

២២-កញ្ញា-២០១១៖ អ្នក​ភូមិ​នៅ​តំបន់​ប្រាសាទ​បន្ទាយ​ស្រី​ខេត្ត​សៀមរាប​ភៀស​ខ្លួន​រក​ទី​ទួល​ពេល​ទឹក​ជន់​លិច​ភូមិ។

ស្ថានភាព​ទឹកជំនន់​​ធ្ងន់ធ្ងរ ប្រហាក់​ប្រហែល​នឹង​ជំនន់​សហវត្សរ៍ កាលពី​ឆ្នាំ​២០០០ 

ថ្ងៃ ព្រហស្បតិ៍ 22 កញ្ញា 2011
ដោយ លី ម៉េងហួរ
Radio France Internationale

Synopsis: Lim Kean Hor, the minister of Water Resources and Meteorology, indicated on 22 September that the water level in 2011 is similar to those during the 2000s. 56,000 hectares of the country are flooded. Kampong Thom saw the worst effect of the flooding.

រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី​ក្រសួង​ធនធានទឹក និង​ឧតុនិយម លោក លឹម គានហោ បាន​ប្រកាស​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​២២​កញ្ញា​នេះ​ថា ស្ថានភាព​ទឹកជំនន់​នៅ​ឆ្នាំ​២០១១ ពេលនេះ មាន​ស្ថានភាព​ប្រហាក់ប្រហែល​នឹង​ទឹកជំនន់​សហវត្សរ៍ កាលពី​ឆ្នាំ​២០០០។ ក្នុងនោះ ទឹកជំនន់ ដែល​នឹង​បន្ត​ឡើង​រហូត​ដល់​ថ្ងៃ​៣០​កញ្ញា បាន​លិចលង់​ផ្ទៃដី​បង្កបង្កើន​ផល​នៅ​ទូទាំង​ប្រទេស ប្រមាណ ៥៦.០០០ ហិកតា។ នៅ​ខេត្ត​កំពង់ធំ រងគ្រោះ​ធ្ងន់ធ្ងរ​ជាងគេ។

ក្នុង​សន្និសីទ​កាសែត នៅ​ព្រឹក​មិញ លោក លឹម គានហោ រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី​ក្រសួង​ធនធាន​ទឹក និង​ឧតុនិយម បាន​ប្រកាស​ថា ក្នុង​រយៈពេល​ប៉ុន្មាន​ថ្ងៃនេះ កម្ពុជា​បាន​ទទួល​ឥទ្ធិពល​សម្ពាធ​ទាប បណ្តាល​ឲ្យ​មាន​ភ្លៀង​ធ្លាក់​គ្រប់​ទីកន្លែង។ ទឹកភ្លៀង ក៏​នឹង​បន្ត​ធ្លាក់​រយៈពេល​ពីរ ឬ​បី​ថ្ងៃ​ទៅ​មុខ​ទៀត ដែល​បណ្តាល​ឲ្យ​មាន​ទឹកជំនន់​តាម​ដង​ទន្លេ​មេគង្គ ទន្លេ​បាសាក់ និង​នៅ​ទន្លេសាប។​

Continued Flooding Kills Six in Northeast

Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“If the water lasts for more than 10 days, rice plants will be destroyed.”

Flooding along the Mekong River in three provinces has claimed six lives and left hundreds of families homeless, authorities said Monday. Five of the victims were children.

Though the flooding has abated somewhat in the provinces of Kratie and Stung Treng, it has continued farther south, in the populous province of Kampong Cham, Mao Hak, director of the meteorology department of the Ministry of Water Resources said.

The flooding left 570 families homeless and has inundated some 5,200 hectares of farmland, he said.

Water ride in Phnom Penh

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - A Cambodian motor-taxi man drives through a flooded street, carrying two customers. AP Photo/Heng Sinith.

Villagers Stunned by Heavy Flooding

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Stung Treng
19 August 2009

Yin Pong’s house is still battered from the flooding, its thatch in tatters, his rice field inundated. The 44-year-old farmer from Sensan village, Stung Treng province, was one of many villagers affected by severe flooding in the province earlier this month.

In a recent interview with VOA Khmer, Yin Pong said he lost about 1 million riel, or $250, in crops, along with 10 chickens and 20 ducks, in severe flooding that affected hundreds of villagers.

“I have difficulty now,” said the father of four. “I have nothing; my rice, cucumbers, beans and sugar cane were fully damaged.”

According to villagers in Kamphun commune, the flooding started after a week of heavy rains, bringing half a meter of water into homes for four days before the water subsided four days later.

In Sesan district’s Phlok commune, not far from Kamphun, bamboo and other trees were still inundated with waters behind people’s homes.

Tuon Sim, 57, said flooding damaged his pumpkin and eggplant crops, costing him 80,000 riel, about $20.

“This was bad flooding,” he said.

One of his sons, Sim Chhairath, 15, was pale and ill, having suffered from malaria he caught fishing in the flooded fields. It was the first time he’d ever had the disease, he said.

Phlok commune chief Than Tim said eight of his 1,115 villagers incurred malaria after the flooding, which provided ideal conditions for mosquitoes.

Even before the flooding, he said, local health officials were educating villagers on how to protect themselves from the disease.

“If we did not protect our health, we would have this,” he said.
The flooding came from heavy rainfall after a typhoon hit northern Vietnam, pushing water to high levels in Cambodia that were exacerbated by the opening of floodgates of a dam on the Sekong river, in Laos, which flows through Stung Treng province.

On Aug. 2, the Ministry of Water Resources warned people living along the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Basac rivers, especially in Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham, to take precautions.

All told, more than 40 hectares of paddy and 400 families were affected in Stung Treng, provincial governor Loy Sophat said. No one was killed.

Stung Treng provincial authorities planned to provide rice seeds to victims at the end of August, but he did not disclose how much of rice seed each family would receive.

Mao Hak, chief of the Ministry of Water Resources’ hydrology department, said the water levels in Stung Treng’s river rose to 9.94 meters at the height of the flooding.

The river could swell to 10.70 meters in late September, flooding more areas, he said.

Flooding in Stung Prek Thnot does not threaten Phnom Penh yet

07 August 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Until the evening of 06 August, flooding from rain in Stung Prek Thnot River does not threaten the southwest region of Dangkao district yet. The Phnom Penh authority is playing close attention on the flood water level along Stung Prek Thnot River. In the morning of 06 August, Kep Chuktema, Phnom Penh city governor, along with experts from Dangkao district visited the situation in Teuk Thla bridge which crosses Stung Prek Thnot River in Pong-ro commune, Dangkao district, in order to make on time response preparation to the upcoming flooding in Stung Prek Thnot River caused by the rain. An expert indicated that for the dike road along Stung Prek Thnot River, also known as the 7 Makara Dike road, which was completed not long ago, there is no concern about it, however there are concerns along a old 3,540-meter long dike linking National Road No. 3 near Teuk Thla bridge to the railroad in Prateah Salang commune which is weak. During the visit, Kep Chuktema directed experts and local officials to prepare sufficient forces and means to save people on time when the flood occurs.

Mekong higher than 2000 flood levels

August 20, 2008
ABC Radio Australia

High flood waters are continuing to move down the Mekong River.

The Mekong River Commission says the river from northern Thailand to central Cambodia is higher than it was in 2000, when the worst floods in four decades struck southern Vietnam.

The Vietnamese government has ordered rescue forces to be ready to move people from dangerous areas in southern Vietnam, where the Mekong river reaches the South China Sea.

Cambodian disaster management officials have alerted villagers of rising waters and authorities have prepared 4,000 boats and life-jackets for vulnerable areas in the eastern provinces of Kampong Cham and Kratie.

Four people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Laos, where the Mekong river has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain.

Destructive flooding puts Southeast Asia at risk

Sunday, August 17, 2008
By Seth Mydans
International Herald Tribune (Paris, France)

HANOI: Torrential rains and overflowing rivers have brought some of the worst flooding in decades to Vietnam and its neighbors, flooding cities and farmlands in five nations.

At least 130 people were killed, dozens were missing and thousands were driven from their homes in northern Vietnam and hundreds of tourists were evacuated near the hill tribe resort area of Sapa.

Flooding has also hit parts of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos as well as Myanmar, where waters rose in the Irrawaddy Delta, which is still recovering from a cyclone that left 38,000 people dead or missing in May.

According to the official press in Myanmar, the floods affected much of the country, including the main city, Yangon, as well as Mandalay in the center and the Karen and Mon states in the southeast.

In Vientiane, the capital of Laos, officials said the Mekong River had brought the worst flooding in memory, rising to nearly 14 meters, or 45 feet, above its lowest level in the dry season. The high water in Vientiane broke a record set in 1966 and overflowed a levee that was built after that flood.

Mudslides also cut the main road from Vientiane to the ancient capital of Luang Prabang, a city of temples and monasteries where the Mekong waters also rose.

In parts of northeastern Thailand, officials said the Mekong had reached its highest level in 30 years, inundating farmlands and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in three provinces along the river, which divides Thailand from Laos.

Officials said the high water was caused by heavy downpours in southern China, Laos and Thailand.

As the high waters of the Mekong moved downstream, Cambodia and eastern Thailand prepared for major floods and officials warned residents in some areas to move to higher ground along with their livestock.

In Vietnam's southern Mekong delta, where the 4,345-kilometer, or 2,700-mile, river flows into the sea, forecasters said that rising waters had reached a critical level two weeks earlier than last year and that worse flooding lay ahead.

In northern Vietnam, the government said floodwaters peaked at close to their record levels of 1968. Military helicopters brought instant noodles and other supplies to stranded residents and airlifted hundreds of Vietamese and foreign tourists from Lao Cai, on the border with China.

Several hundred train passengers en route to the popular tourist area, including about 50 foreign tourists, took refuge in hotels before being airlifted out, according to the Vietnamese press.

In the neighboring province of Yen Bai, according to official reports, at least 35 people were killed, many of them buried under landslides that hit at night as they slept.

The government's Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control said in May that over the past three years, floods and storms had become stronger and more destructive. Last year's floods were followed by a rare prolonged cold spell at the end of 2007. That was followed in turn by unexpected scorching weather and early storms in the first months of 2008, the committee said.

The most destructive flooding in recent years came in late 1999 in the country's central provinces, leaving 750 people dead or missing.

Flooding of the Mekong River in Kampong Cham

Cambodians are transported by boat near the Mekong river in Kampong Cham province, 130 km (80 miles) east of Phnom Penh, during floods Aug. 16, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Cambodia children play in front of their house near the Mekong river during floods in Kampong Cham province, 130 km (80 miles) east of Phnom Penh, Aug. 16, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
A Cambodian woman transport her cows to higher ground during floods near the Mekong river in Kampong Cham province, 130 km (80 miles) east of Phnom Penh, Aug. 16, 2008. The Mekong river has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain, officials said on Friday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
A Cambodian man rows a boat during floods near the Mekong river in Kampong Cham province, 130 km (80 miles) east of Phnom Penh, during floods Aug. 16, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Official: Lao flooding not danger for Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The current flooding in Laos wouldn't cause any serious danger for Cambodia, although the two neighboring countries share water from the Mekong River, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily Saturday quoted an official as saying.

"The water (here) hasn't risen (to those levels in Laos) and there is nothing to be worried about," said Nhim Vanda, vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management

He had contacted his equivalent department in Laos for information about rising water levels and then became confident that the problems there wouldn't extend downstream to Cambodia, he said.

Cambodia was well insulated from rising water levels in Laos because of the number of lakes available here for any excess water to drain into, he said.

The Mekong River in Kratie province was around 20 meters high, a normal level for this time of the year and the secondary rivers, lakes and the Tonle Sape River were all at safe levels, he said.

"Even if the water comes strongly, we have a lot of places to store," he added.

The Mekong River Commission Friday reported that the Mekong River hit its highest level in Laos in 100 years, adding that Cambodia would likely suffer from the after-effects as the flood water moved downstream.

Mekong hits highest level in at least 100 years

BANGKOK, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Four people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Laos, where the Mekong river has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain, officials said on Friday.

The communist government and private citizens in the landlocked Southeast Asian country have been rushing to complete a 2.5 metre (8 ft) wall of sandbags to stop water inundating the capital, Vientiane.

Police have closed roads leading to the riverbank to make it easier for trucks delivering sandbags, the official Vientiane Times reported.

"We've been fighting very hard day and night for four days, but after today the water level should recede," government spokesman Yong Chanhthalansy told Reuters in Bangkok.

The Mekong, which starts in the glaciers of Tibet and ends 4,350 km (2,700 miles) away in the rice-rich delta of southern Vietnam, hit 13.68 metres in Vientiane on Thursday, trouncing a high of 12.38 metres recorded in 1966, the worst floods in living memory.

That depth -- measured roughly from the river's lowest level in the dry season -- could rise slightly on Friday before retreating, Yong said.

Vietnam was recently hit by heavy rains, floods and mudslides as the remnants of a tropical storm caused the country's worst floods in four decades. At least 120 people were killed and another 44 remain missing.

In Vientiane, a levee was built along the Mekong's northern bank after the 1966 flooding but has been overrun in places, causing flooding in parts of the city of 200,000, one resident said.

There had been widespread flooding upstream and north of Vientiane, although the former royal capital of Luang Prabang had escaped with no damage to its ancient Buddhist pagodas, Yong said.

Downstream, eastern Thailand and low-lying Cambodia, where the annual flooding of the Mekong is crucial to rice and fish production, are braced for the rising waters. Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, sits right on the bank of the river.

Government officials said they had warned people living near the Mekong in the provinces of Kompong Cham, Kratie and Stung Treng to move their families and livestock to higher ground.

(Reporting by Ed Cropley and Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould and Valerie Lee)

Flood Damage Could Exceed $10 Million, Official Says

Win Thida, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
14 August 2007

Damages from prolonged flooding in northeastern Cambodia could surpass $10 million, officials said Wednesday.

The floods have killed at least two people and displaced tens of thousands, disaster officials said.

About 18,000 hectares of rice fields are under water in the region, and the Cambodian Red Cross has sent 10 tons of the staple to feed victims, the Cambodia Daily reported Tuesday.

"About the flood, we are ready, and if there is any problem, we are ready," said Nhim Vanda, vice president for the government's Committee for Natural Disaster Control. "Today, I think there is nothing that we should worry about. I only feel that if we have a lot of rainstorms in our country we will have to monitor it."

Floodwater was now receding in some areas, he said, but it has cost the country up to $10 million in damages.

"I think that in about two weeks, if there is no rain or storm, the flood will leave us for the sea, and other countries, and the situation will be less serious," Nhim Vanda said.

Flooding Kills 1 in Kampong Thom; Death Toll at 2

Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
13 August 2007

Continued provincial flooding claimed another victim Monday, bringing the death toll to two, as thousands more were displaced. A 4-year-old child from Prasat Sambor town died when his family's rowboat capsized, said Sok Kheng, a commune official from Kampong Thom.

"When people tried to go to safe higher ground, by rowboat, this boat capsized, causing the child to fall overboard," Sok Kheng said.

In 30 years, Sok Kheng has not seen flooding like this, he said.

Authorities estimate 15,000 people have so far been displaced by recent flooding.

Last week, a 54-year-old woman from Preah Vihear province became the first to die in the deluge, which authorities told the Cambodia Daily was the worst since 1992.

Mekong River water level rises at all recording stations

Saturday, August 11, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Mao Hak, an official of the department of water resources and meteorology, indicated that the water level of the Mekong River measured at various recording stations has not reached the alarm level yet. Mao Hak told Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper on 10 August that the water level rises because Laos is currently besieged by a low pressure system which caused a lot of rainfall in the upper Mekong basin region. The amount of rainfall water caused the river level to rise up and it also affects the downstream river water level in Cambodia in the subsequent days. According to the measurements made by the department of meteorology, on 10 August, the Stung Treng station records a water level of 9.33-meter, Kratie at 19.33-meter, Kompong Cham at 13.06-meter, and Tonle Bassac-Chaktokmouk at 7.63-meter.

Flooding Hits 11,000 Villagers in North, Northeast; 1 Dead

A Cambodian amputee beggar is given money by a passerby while wading in the street flood in Phnom Penh in 1998.

Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
10 August 2007

Flooding in the north and northeastern regions of Cambodia has displaced 11,000 villagers, killing one young girl, officials said Thursday.

Roads are cut off and farms inundated in Preah Vihear, Stung Treng and Ratanakkiri provinces, officials said.

The flooding is due to storms in Thailand and Laos since Aug. 5, and damages are estimated at $1 million, Nhim Vanda, deputy director of the government's Disaster Relief Committee, said.

"We have moved about 9,000 people in Ratanakiri to four highland areas," he said. "In Stung Treng, we evacuated more than 2,000 people to safety."

Authorities are facing food shortages for flood victims, Preah Vihear Governor Preap Tan said.

"Our preliminary report shows that about one thousand families lack food," he said. "Roads are cut off in several areas, but the most important thing is that people need food supplies."

Mekong River will create major flooding

Friday, August 10, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The rapid rise of the Mekong River level could create major flooding in the next few days because intense rains are currently falling in the upper Mekong River basin. Another major storm is also predicted to arrive at a time when the current major storm has not subsided yet. Mao Hak, director of the department of water of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, told the Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper that the water level along the Mekong River will keep rising in the next 2-3 days. According to a prediction by the department of meteorology, the water level will rise up to 9.27-meter in the province of Stung Treng, 19.24-meter in the province of Kratie, 12.93-meter in the province of Kompong Cham, 7.48-meter at the Bassac-Chaktokmouk River. The forecast predicts that the water level could rise even higher on 12 August.

Flooding in Cambodia’s Northeast

Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A report indicated that rainfalls cause flooding in 2 districts in Ratanakiri province, and the province of Preah Vihear also faces flooding. The road connecting the provinces of Ratanakiri and Preah Vihear was also cut off due to flooding. An official from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology in the province of Ratanakiri indicated that rains fell for several successive days already in this province, and it caused the Sre Pok river to rise significantly. Right now, rain is still falling strongly. The province had sent forces to help the population already. The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology told villagers living along the Mekong River to watch out for the river level cresting in the next 2 to 3 days. Lim Kean Hor, the Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology, said that right now, the Mekong Water level is rising very rapidly, registering up to 1-meter of water level increase each day. Therefore, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology is asking villagers along the Mekong River to be careful about the danger lurking from the water level rising.

Mekong River water level rising

Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

On 11 June, Mao Hak, the director of the water resource department of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, said that the water level in the Mekong River is starting to rise. He indicated that as of 11 June, the water level at the Tonle Bassac-Chaktokmouk station is 2.75-meter high. The level of water in the Tonle Sap is at 1.27-meter. Mao Hak said that starting 15 June, his department will announce daily water level measurements along the different stations to inform the population. Based on prediction, the water level in the Mekong River could rise up to 10.45-meter high at the Tonle Bassac-Chaktokmouk station. This is close to the 10.50-meter alarm level set for the city of Phnom Penh.