More rain in the wake of the region’s Typhoon Khanan this week could lead to the destruction of almost 2,000 hectares of rice paddies in Cambodia’s northwest, according to agriculture officials.

Seang Vanseth, head of the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Agricultural Department, said that so far 1,835 hectares of rice plantations have been flooded by heavy rains and the overflowing of rivers in Pailin and Battambang provinces, as well as the O’Prumden river at the Cambodia-Thai border.

“If the flood lasts over a week, it will be damaged completely. It is what we are worrying about while it continues raining,” Vanseth said.

Yem Bunrum, head of the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Water Resources Department, said there were also fears that rivers and reservoirs would rise to the “warning point” over the next week.

He said the water level in Poipet’s Ou’Khaidorn Dam had climbed to 4.33 metres, just shy of the 5-metre point at which an official warning would be issued for residents to prepare their property for flooding and ensure their relatives were safe.

Meanwhile, Bunrum said, the water level in the Sisophon canal currently sits at 6.93 metres, just below the 7.5-metre alert point; Spean Sraeng reservoir rose to 13.85 metres, nearing its 14.3-metre alert point; and the Trapeang Thmor reservoir reached 18.18 metres, nearing its 18.5-metre warning point.