Province tackles drought with irrigation systems

CLIMATE change has led to droughts in many parts of the world, and Cambodia is not an exception.

Hence, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has developed a plan for more irrigation systems and a reservoir dam intended to settle the water shortage problem for farmers in affected areas.

Kampong Cham provincial Department of Water Resources and Meteorology director Om Vibol said on Wednesday that drought in the last few years had caused problems for around 3,200 families in Prey Chhor and Cheung Prey districts as their crops didn’t get enough water.

He said to promote the living standards of the people, the ministry and the provincial department had intervened to repair a reservoir dam located at the border between Cheung Prey district’s Prey Char commune and Prey Chhor district’s Samrong commune.

“At the moment, our team is re-digging and repairing the reservoir dam to meet the needs of the people in both districts.

“This dam can store at least 13 million cubic metres which can provide water to 3,000ha in that area, ” Vibol said.

He said the repairs to the 4km-long dam would be finished in September along with a road to transport agricultural products in the area.

Kampong Cham governor Un Chanda said that the dam would store water and improve the living standards of farmers who grow rice and vegetables.

“It is not just a benefit to the agricultural sector but also provides benefits for the tourism and transportation sectors because alongside the dam is a road, ” he said.

Chanda said the development of the water irrigation system and the dam repairs were the appropriate solutions for a country which has agricultural potential and where 80% of the population is made up of farmers. — The Phnom Penh Post/ANN