Cambodia, Flooding in Kampong Speu Province

Cambodia: Evacuation of 45 families living within dam in Kampong Speu

The O’Kon Trom Dam in Kampong Speu province has been filling higher than usual causing 45 families who had built their homes inside the dam’s borders to be evacuated to emergency shelters.

Kampong Speu provincial Department of Water Resources director Cheap Horm yesterday said: “O’Kon Trom Dam is 200 hectares and was built during the Pol Pot regime. These families have lived there since 2002 and they never experienced a flood like this before.”

“Flooding can occur again next year in O’Kon Trom Dam, so authorities are suggesting people move to live on the dike after this flood because the dam capacity can contain more water now than before,” Horm said.

Phnom Sruoch district governor Horn Piseth said the continuous rains caused flooding of people’s houses forcing residents to evacuate.

Meanwhile, 250 hectares of rice were impacted and 14 hectares were destroyed by floods in Kampong Thom province. Now, farmers have restored the paddies affected by the floods.