Cambodian Water Festival: Minister calls for more flood prevention efforts

Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology Lim Kean Hor today called on authorities to use the three-day Water Festival holiday to increase flood prevention activities.

His comment was made this morning when he visited the Prek Tnaot River in Phnom Penh to check on the water level there.

Kean Hor’s inspection came after heavy rainfall last night caused flooding when the nearby 7 Makara dam overflowed by 0.25 meters and caused a landslip.

Kean Hor noted that the situation at the river was not serious as the water level of between 1.10 meters and 1.40 meters was still low.

Phnom Penh Governor Khuong Sreng said today that although Prek Tnaot River’s level was still low, City Hall was ready to intervene in the event of sudden flooding as what happened with the 7 Makara dam.

Nhanh Cheab Hung, Director of Kampong Speu Provincial Department of Water Resources and Meteorology, told local media today that it had been raining heavily for several days now at the Stung Prek Tnaot floodplain in the province.

He said heavy rains last night and today could cause water to flow into the lower reaches of the Prek Tnaot River and trigger a flash flood through the 7 Makara dam again.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES