Disasters and emergency response

As a light rain peppered the dry earth in Kampong Thom province’s O’Dong village on Friday afternoon, residents rejoiced. Having scrambled around for pots and bowls, they hoped the drizzle would yield enough water to cover their basic needs. But after just 15 minutes, hope turned ...

Cambodia is looking at a delayed onset of the rainy season, with experts and government officials having raised concerns of a prolonged dry season affecting agricultural production, as the Pacific weather pattern El Niño threatens to bring drought-like conditions. Ngin Chhay, director of the Rice Department ...

Three people were killed and two injured on Sunday evening as heavy storms struck Svay Rieng, Kampong Chhnang and Preah Sihanouk provinces, destroying dozens of homes. ...

A new Law on Disaster Management sailed through the National Assembly yesterday, with Prime Minister Hun Sen promising a more rapid and coordinated response across government agencies. ...

The National Assembly on Thursday debated and easily passed two chapters of a law that aims to improve responses to natural and man-made disasters, partly by imposing fines and jail time for incompetent officials and citizens who know of, but fail to report, a coming ...

A 34-year-old man was killed by lightning yesterday while attempting to construct a waterway under his house during a morning storm, local police said. ...

After a storm damaged utility poles in Siem Reap province last week, leading to nearly four days of power outages, officials said Sunday that electricity had been fully restored to the area. ...

At least 30 houses were damaged due to heavy rainstorm yesterday in Siem Reap province, but no one were killed in the accident, an official said today. ...

At least eight people were confirmed injured after storms battered four provinces across Cambodia on Tuesday, leaving almost 800 houses destroyed or badly damaged.​ ...

Disaster management officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered here Tuesday to discuss ways to promote regional cooperation in response to disasters, a senior Cambodian official said. ...

An environmental nongovernmental organization and young Cambodians opposed to sand dredging will petition the country’s parliament and relevant ministries to stop companies from digging up sand in a southwestern province, activists said. ...

A booming natural rubber market fueled by the global tire industry is proving “catastrophic” for endangered species in Cambodia and the rest of Southeast Asia, U.K. researchers argue in a new paper. ...

More than 50 houses were left in shambles after a storm tore through Banteay Meanchey province on Tuesday. ...

Authorities are tallying the cost of major storms that battered three provinces in recent days, leaving one woman dead and more than 100 homes and other buildings damaged. ...

Starting today, residents of Banteay Meanchey, Pursat and Kampong Thom provinces can enroll in a disaster-response calling service through their phones in anticipation of the impending rainy season. ...

New articles may be added to a draft law on disaster management, including punishments for officials who break the law. The current draft includes prison sentences and small fines for people who, for example, enter restricted areas during a disaster. ...

Cambodia had spent approximately 30 million U.S. dollars on disaster control in 2014, Nhim Vanda, the first vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said Thursday. ...

Cambodia is particularly at risk from man-made climate change due to its dependence on agriculture and its geography, Minister of Environment Say Sam Al said yesterday. The minister, speaking at a workshop marking 20 years of meetings on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said ...

Two people were injured and more than 60 homes left damaged after freak storms swept through Preah Vihear and Banteay Meanchey provinces over the weekend. ...

Falling crop yields, damage to infrastructure and heat-related illnesses brought on by climate change could cost the four Southeast Asian countries of the lower Mekong River basin $34 billion per year, researchers say. A report released on Monday found that climate change could cost Cambodia, ...

Authorities have vowed to seize fireworks and punish anyone caught letting off explosives as Lunar New Year celebrations get under way today. The warning by the Phnom Penh municipality came as the Interior Ministry revealed plans to station more than 20 fire trucks around the city ...

The Phnom Penh police’s fire brigade is creating a new committee to determine the cause of a blaze at O’Russei market on Sunday night, an official said. The fire, he said, was extinguished within an hour and led to what vendors are saying equates to ...

Last year saw a 70 per cent drop in fatalities caused by natural disasters compared with 2013, the government’s National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) said yesterday. ...

Tropical Storm Sinlaku is expected to hit Cambodia today, bringing with it heavy rains and flooding for residents in the Kingdom’s northeastern provinces, a government meteorologist confirmed. Mondulkiri and Ratanakkiri are expected to be the most vulnerable areas, and the storm will have little effect on ...