PHNOM PENH: The flooding situation in the Stung Prek Tnaot delta in Dangkoa district, Phnom Penh has now gradually decreased. The floods affected more than 2,000 homes and more than 1,000 families.

A flood victim in Kong Noy commune, Mom Menea, said that she encounters this problem every year during the rainy season, however, she faced flooding during the dry season for the first time at the beginning of this year. According to Ms. Menea, when her house became flooded, she and her family temporarily moved to a relative's house that had not been submerged.

A resident of this area for more than 30 years, Ms. Menea described the hardships of living around the Prek Tnaot delta during the rainy season.

“It is difficult to live in our house, it is low near the river delta,” she said. “It is difficult, we have no place to carry our luggage, some of our luggage we can keep high [and above the ground], but some of our luggage we cannot, so it is thrown in the water.”

Thirty-one-year-old Mom Menea also expressed her concerns about coming in to contact with venomous animals, such as snakes, when it floods.

Another resident, Mom Sim, also spoke of how difficult it is to live in a flood-prone area.

"In this area, we are all miserable, there are no happy people,” she said. “The landslide (when a dam collapsed) came right to the center [where we live] at night.”

Despite the dire situation, residents also expressed their thanks to the authorities for their efforts to rescue them in time and thanked the Governor of Phnom Penh, Khuong Sreng, for always giving donations to those affected by the floods.

Governor Khuong Sreng confirmed to the media during his visit to Kong Noy commune on Monday morning, 16 January 2023, that the water level in the area was slowly receding, as authorities prepared sandbags to contain the floodwaters and try not to let water seep into people's homes in the neighboring commune.

The Phnom Penh Governor affirmed that the authorities will continue to protect the safety of victims and rescue them if required, striving to not leave any people behind to starve to death.

As a follow-up plan, he stated that the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology will work together to pour chalk into dams to prevent flooding and ensure the health and safety of the people in Dangkao district.

It should be noted that the floods have affected more than 1,000 families living in 10 affected communes: Sangkat Sak Sampov, Sangkat Spean Thmor, Sangkat Kraing Pong, Sangkat Kong Noy, Sangkat Tien, Sangkat Prek Kampus, Sangkat Cheung Ek, Sangkat Prey Sar, Sangkat Dangkao and Sangkat Prey Veng.