The government had set aside 3,000 tonnes of rice seeds to distribute to farmers whose crops were destroyed by flooding and had so far distributed 1,900 tonnes of rice to those affected by the floods in 18 provinces, the National Committee for Disaster Management said yesterday.

NCDM spokesman Keo Vy also said that most of those who had been displaced in 16 of the 18 provinces hit by flooding had returned to their homes. Only those displaced in Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Thom provinces remained unable to return to their homes due to high floodwaters, he said.

During a visit to flood-affected families in Kampong Cham province’s Batheay district, Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong said the government would deliver another 2,000 tonnes of rice to families affected by the floods.

Keo Vy said the challenge now was to focus on food security.

“We have prepared everything, including assistance from the international community to support rehabilitation for affected families from three to six months,” he said.

As many as 1.7 million Cambodians have been affected by the flooding and about 100,000 families have had to evacuate their homes and flee to higher ground, according to the NCDM.

The US embassy in Phnom Penh said yesterday almost US$1.5 million would be provided for emergency relief in three provinces. The funding from USAid’s office of foreign disaster assistance would be

split into two grants.

Save the Children would receive $750,000 to help support 31,500 famil-ies in Kampong Cham and Kampong Thom, and World Vision would receive $721,807 to help support 27,000 families in Kandal and Kampong Thom.