Despite calling this year’s water shortage “the worst plight” Cambodia has seen in 10 years, the National Committee for Disaster Management said Thursday that the government has no plan to provide water relief to drought-stricken villagers.
“This is the first time we have had this bad of a water shortage for the last 10 years,” the disaster management committee’s First Vice-President Nhim Vanda said, adding that in some areas villagers were in greater need of water than food.
But, he said, the situation was not dire enough to warrant urgent action. “It is not time for the government to provide relief yet,” he said.
Speaking by phone Thursday from Kompong Speu province, Nhim Vanda said that Kompong Speu appeared hardest hit by drought, ahead of Prey Veng, Takeo, and Oddar Meanchey provinces.
He said he is also checking reports of water shortages in the provinces bordering Thailand, and reports that some villagers are buying water from Thai villagers.
Inaction by the central government has forced some provinces, like Banteay Meanchey, to take matters into their own hands.
Banteay Meanchey Governor Heng Chantha said he sent five firefighters this week to transport water to villagers in Svay Chek district.
They will continue to supply water there until it rains, he said.
Many villagers there have been forced to travel 15 km to 20 km from home to fetch water for their families, he said.
Though various parts of Phnom Penh this week experienced stoppages to their water supply, Governor Kep Chuktema on Thursday denied the cuts were due to a shortage.
The city still has enough water for its households, he said, adding that there could have been problems in areas where water supply workers were fixing pipes.
But some residents living on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, such as Dangkao district, have been affected by drought, he said.
The governor said he will construct wells and a canal for villagers there soon.
Despite calling this year’s water shortage “the worst plight” Cambodia has seen in 10 years, the National Committee for Disaster Management said Thursday that the government has no plan to provide water relief to drought-stricken villagers.
“This is the first time we have had this bad of a water shortage for the last 10 years,” the disaster management committee’s First Vice-President Nhim Vanda said, adding that in some areas villagers were in greater need of water than food.
But, he said, the situation was not dire enough to warrant urgent action. “It is not time for the government to provide relief yet,” he said.
Speaking by phone Thursday from Kompong Speu province, Nhim Vanda said that Kompong Speu appeared hardest hit by drought, ahead of Prey Veng, Takeo, and Oddar Meanchey provinces.
He said he is also checking reports of water shortages in the provinces bordering Thailand, and reports that some villagers are buying water from Thai villagers.
Inaction by the central government has forced some provinces, like Banteay Meanchey, to take matters into their own hands.
Banteay Meanchey Governor Heng Chantha said he sent five firefighters this week to transport water to villagers in Svay Chek district.
They will continue to supply water there until it rains, he said.
Many villagers there have been forced to travel 15 km to 20 km from home to fetch water for their families, he said.
Though various parts of Phnom Penh this week experienced stoppages to their water supply, Governor Kep Chuktema on Thursday denied the cuts were due to a shortage.
The city still has enough water for its households, he said, adding that there could have been problems in areas where water supply workers were fixing pipes.
But some residents living on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, such as Dangkao district, have been affected by drought, he said.
The governor said he will construct wells and a canal for villagers there soon.
