The heavy rains have caused flashfloods throughout Cambodia.
© Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology.The heavy rains have caused flashfloods throughout Cambodia.
Days of heavy rainfall in South East Asia have caused flooding in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. More severe weather is on its way as Tropical Storm "Linfa" approaches central Vietnam.

Cambodia

Flooding in parts of Cambodia over the last few days has left at least 10 people dead and thousands affected.

The first of the recent spate of flooding began in early October 2020 when around 150 people were evacuated from their homes in areas of Banteay Meanchey province, in particular Ou Chrov District close to the border with Thailand.

Several other provinces were also affected by heavy rain at the time, including Pursat, Battambang, Kampong Speu and Kampong Chhnang.



Since then flooding has worsened and as of 10 October, around 14,000 people were thought to be affected or displaced. Around 40,000 hectares of crops and paddy fields have been inundated. Military teams have been deployed to help with rescue and relief operations.

Officials said that flooding had affected Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu, Kandal, Pailin, Pursat, Svay Rieng and Takeo provinces—as well as Phnom Penh since 01 October. Cambodia's Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology also reported flooding in Stung Treng Province, where 106.5 mm of rain fell in 24 hours to 10 October, and in Siem Reap Province.

floods
Quoting officials from Cambodia's National Committee for Disaster Management, local media said as of 11 October 10 people had died in floods since the start of the month, with the worst of the flooding in Pursat and Battambang provinces.


Thailand

Severe flooding was reported in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima province over the last few days, with roads and homes damaged. Around 12,000 people were affected in Pak Chong district where some residents were moved to higher ground.

Laos

Flooding from the swollen Xepon and Xebanghieng rivers in Savannakhet province damaged hoes and rice fields from 06 October 2020. Local media reported almost 900 families were affected in 21 villages of Xepon District.

Vietnam

Flooding has also affected central parts of Vietnam over the last few days, as reported by FloodList here. As of 10 October at least 5 fatalities had been reported and more than 26,000 people had evacuated.

Tropical Storm "Linfa"

More severe weather is on the way for the region as Tropical Storm "Linfa" approaches Quang Tri province in Vietnam.

Winds of over 100 km/h are expected, along with possible storm surge of up to 1 metre, and rainfall of around 300 mm over the course of a few days.

The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) said around 1.64 million people across Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand could be exposed to the storm.