Supplies are handed out to victims of flooding in Koh Kong province on Tuesday. Photo supplied
More than 500 families affected by flooding in Koh Kong’s Sre Ambel district received supplies from King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath on Tuesday, as it was announced that four districts in Ratanakkiri were flooded by waters from the surging Sesan River.
Kong Sam Ol, Deputy Prime Minister and Royal Palace Minister, speaking while delivering the aid, said the King and Queen Mother were eager to help the flood victims.
“The King thinks of his subjects all the time. The King and Queen Mother sent me here to deliver gifts to the 578 families after their farms, houses, animals and roads were flooded,” Ol said.
Koh Kong provincial governor Mithona Phouthorng said the province’s Mondul Seima, Thma Bang and Koh Kong districts had been affected by flooding for more than two weeks.
However, she said conditions in those three districts had improved and some people had already returned to their homes.
She said Sre Ambel district was the most affected, and the Cambodian Red Cross and relevant authorities had, after inspecting the situation, evacuated villagers to safety and provided supplies.
“No one lost their lives because of the flooding, but houses, crops, livestock and roads were inundated,” she said.
Each of the 578 families received 50kg of rice, 20 tins of canned food, two pieces of large plastic, T-shirts, two cases of instant noodles, other equipment, such as blankets and mats, and 40,000 riel ($10) in cash.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Water Resources said in statement that, as of Tuesday, waters from the Sesan River had inundated four districts in Ratanakkiri.
“The height of the Sesan River reached 9.34 metres, which exceeded flood levels by 1.34 metres. The excess water flooded Taveng, O’Yadav, Andong Meas and Veun Sai districts,” the statement said.
Thong Savon, the provincial governor, said on Tuesday that the authorities were evaluating the impact of the flooding.
According to the ministry’s statement on Tuesday, the water levels of the Sesan River had risen dramatically causing it to break its banks and flood people’s homes, leaving “villages badly inundated”.
The provincial authorities said they had evacuated people at risk to safe areas.
The National Committee for Disaster Management could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, as the Kingdom gears up for Sunday’s national elections, it was revealed on Tuesday that flooding had cut off roads in Tbong Khmum province’s Tbong Khmum district, making the transportation of ballots to a polling station difficult.
Sok Chhin, head of Tbong Khmum provincial Election Committee (PEC), said that although the flooding had submerged some roads in the district, they had not inundated any of the polling stations.
“Water affecting Peam Chilaing village did not affect the polling station because it is situated on the other side of the river,” he said.
Chhin said the PEC may be forced to use a boat to deliver the ballots to that particular polling station, although there are seven other polling stations in the village that are unaffected and could be used if it proves impossible to reach the stranded station.
