PHNOM PENH: A section of the nearly-completed stretch of highway in mountainous terrain in Pursat province has subsided, with serious damage and major cracks appearing on the surface of the sealed road.
The section of National Road No 10 that links Bramoy and O'Som communes in Veal Veng district has been temporarily closed after recent heavy rains caused the extensive damage.
Veal Veng district governor Theang Leng said the damage was the result of about two weeks of heavy rains.
Traffic on the road, which was passable and frequently used even though it was still under construction, was suspended on Thursday (July 25) night.
“About 100 metres of the road has cracked. The street is still under construction by a Chinese investment company,” added the governor.
He noted that while rains were continuing to fall – sometimes heavy and sometimes light – because the region is mountainous, the rain did not cause flooding or threaten the homes or crops of local residents.
Leng hoped that an alternative detour route will be constructed as soon as the rain stops.
The construction of National Road No. 10, which is more than 198km long, was estimated to be almost 90 per cent by the end of June.
The 66-month project began in December 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in June 2025, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
The road stretches from Battambang province’s Samlot district to Pursat’s Vela Veng district, before continuing on to join Nation Road 48 in Koh Kong’s provincial capital Khemarak Phoumin.
Heavy rains have also caused flooding in Battambang province, with Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries secretary of state Chan Sovuth inspecting the damage to two districts on July 24.
His inspections showed that 323 hectares of rice in Prek Narin commune, Ek Phnom district and Phnom Sampov commune, Banan district had flooded, although he noted that the floodwaters were receding.
He assigned the provincial agriculture department to work with local authorities to release the water as quickly as possible.
On the same day, In Sovan Mony, deputy director of the agriculture department, explained that he was working with his colleagues at the water resources department to channel the floodwaters back into the Kingdom’s waterway systems.
“Despite the flooding, it did not cause any damage to the rice. Some species of rice seeds can be inundated with water for up to 15 days,” he said. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
