Heavy flooding

Chhun Chenda Sophea, at IMPACT-Cambodia, has been traveling in the rains to bring health care and support to people in remote locations. This is her update. 

In Preah Vihear and Banteay Meanchey, it rained so hard we couldn’t get to some centers, due to bad road conditions. In some places we walked through the mud and flooded bridges to get there. 

This is a shot from Battambang when I was there a few days ago. It’s continued to rain and conditions now have worsened. 

Back home in Phnom Penh, they have filled the lakes with soil. When it rains heavily the water doesn’t have a place to go. In some parts of town, it can drain into the river [the Bassac] but some parts of town are just badly managed with sewage. I feel sorry for the people who have to walk through the water to work. Some floodwaters are sitting there for a couple of days with all the rubbish around. It’s not healthy. 

(Note from editor: Flooding is part of life in the Lower Mekong Basin, but urban development has led to the destruction of wetlands and blocking of natural drainage channels. Add to this, problems of sewage and wastewater management, and we have a cocktail of health risks for both people and ecosystems.)