Rice paddies could be ruined if flooded for too long, raising fears of food shortages
BANGKOK (AlertNet) - Severe flooding in Cambodia this month has killed 97 people, including 34 children, and affected some 90,000 families, the Phnom Penh Post reported on Thursday.
There are also concerns the capital will be inundated if the Tonle Sap River overflows, although officials expect the floods to start receding in other parts of Cambodia.
“Floods have seriously affected about 90,000 families,” National Disaster Management Committee spokesman Keo Vy told the Post.
“More than 10,000 families were evacuated, and about 83,007 houses, 500 school buildings and 1,200 km of roads were flooded, while 238 houses were completely ruined,” he added.
Earlier, Keo Vy said 163,000 hectares (407,000 acres) of rice paddy were underwater in provinces along the Mekong River and Tonle Lake, raising concerns over food supplies in an already impoverished country.
“We are concerned about a food shortage for the next year because rice paddies will be ruined if they are flooded for more than 10 days,” agriculture official Ngen Chhay told the Post.
Other news reports said Siem Reap, home to the famed Angkor Wat temple complex, has also been flooded after the city's river burst its banks.
Cambodia's rainy season typically runs from June until October.
VIETNAM FLOODING
Vietnam’s fertile Mekong Delta has also been affected by floods, which have killed nine people including five children. River levels are expected to rise quickly until Friday, causing more flooding, a U.N. report warned.
A storm earlier in the week dumped large amounts of rain on the North Central Coast region, killing at least four people, according to the report.
(Editing by Megan Rowling)
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