THE Ministry of Health began a week-long campaign to spray pesticides at the Cheung Ek dumpsite in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district on Saturday following complaints from nearby villagers that thousands of flies were causing contributing to hygiene problems in the area.

Sok Sokun, director of the Phnom Penh Municipal Health Department, said yesterday that the chemical pesticide, provided by the Thai Yoen company in Vietnam and administered by a Japanese firm, will be sprayed at the site until December 3.

“We will use the chemical spray on the dumpsite, roads and sewage to wipe out the smell and kill the flies and their eggs,” he said. “The pesticide, Ogor Removal, does not affect the health of people or animals.”

The campaign comes after local residents complained that flies from the dump were invading their food stocks and affecting sales at food vendor stalls.

Sok Phhat, a resident of Dangkor’s Bakou district located about 500 metres from the site, said the flies seemed to be dropping in number since Sunday, but that there were still “hundreds” of small flies.

“Some villagers tied mosquito nets and some villagers closed their doors and windows to protect against the flies, because they sit on our food and we cannot chase them with our hands,” he said.

Bakou village chief Chhum Sarin said that the flies were disturbing residents of the five villages surrounding the dumpsite, which opened there in September last year.

He added that local authorities had requested “professionals” to spray the area following the villagers’ complaints.