City Hall has ordered all tourist boats and ferries operating on the Mekong and Tonle Bassac rivers to stock up on life jackets and prevent overloading as water levels continue to rise.

In an announcement dated August 10 and released yesterday, the municipality lays out a number of safety provisos.

“All drivers must turn lights on at night and all ferries must prepare the deck to be clean and dry to prevent passengers from slipping,” the memo reads.

Boats are ordered to keep their speed below 20 kilometres per hour when driving within the city limits, stock sufficient life jackets and take pains to ensure their craft isn’t overloaded.

Drivers have also been ordered to avoid veering too close to the rivers’ banks, “in order to ensure safe travel on the water, tourism, and the protection of farmland and homes by avoiding collapse”.

Water levels have been rising since September 6, when a low-pressure system began a five-day inundation across much of Cambodia.