Flood Waters Shut Down Nat’l Road in Poipet

Heavy flood waters closed more than 500 meters of National Road 5 and a section of railway in Banteay Meanchey province’s Poipet City on Monday night, according to provincial governor Soun Bovor, who attributed the problem to development.

After days of heavy rainfall, the nearby O’Khay Dorn Dam in O’Beichoan commune overflowed.

Families who had recently moved to the area and started developing their land—building up earth and piles of garbage on the side of the road in the process—forced the water onto National Road 5, he said.

“A section of the national road and a section of the railway were flooded last night, and we used an excavator to dig to make way to release the water,” he said.

Flood waters between 10 and 20 cm deep receded on Tuesday and the road was reopened, he said.

The governor said provincial authorities had devised a rescue plan for future flooding, including designating safety areas and stocking food supplies.

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