The Phon Penh Post –
Authorities urged residents living along the Mekong River in Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham provinces to be vigilant as water levels rise perilously close to meriting an emergency declaration.
On Sunday, water levels in Stung Treng province were just 20cm shy of an emergency declaration – reaching 10.5m.
In Kratie province, a water level of 22m requires an emergency declaration, while the Mekong River had surged as high as 21m. Similarly, the water level along Kampong Cham rose to 13.5m, while the alert level for the province is set at 15.2m.
“Tropical storm Podul caused too much rain in the Mekong River Basin of Lao, Thailand, and Cambodia which triggered the water levels to rise,” the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology said.
Podul made landfall in central Vietnam on early on Friday and travelled across the Mekong basin over the weekend.
Authorities in Tbong Khmum province’s Kroch Chhmar district were forced to temporarily suspend traffic on roads overcome with water.
Kroch Chhmar district police chief Sam Heng told The Post that villagers were using rowboats and speedboats to ferry agricultural products and motorcycle drivers to and fro between Chhouk and Roka Khnor communes which are connected with a 700m stretch of gravel road.