Some 800 houses in Svay Rieng province were flooded after heavy rains, with infrastructure in the province also damaged, authorities said yesterday.

Men Vibol, Svay Rieng provincial governor, said multiple days of heavy rain had led to severe flooding, especially in Svay Rieng town. Many major roads in the area were also damaged.

“We are preparing to open the water gate of the Vaiko Tonle reservoir to drain out the water,” Vibol said, explaining that the reservoir is so full it is overflowing into the town. Vibol said he has not yet received a report from the local authorities on damage to rice fields in the region.

Keo Vy, spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management, also warned that people living along the Prek Thnout River in Kampong Speu, Kandal and Phnom Penh are at risk of serious flooding. According to a report from local authorities, some houses situated along the river are already partially flooded.

For some provinces in northern Cambodia, however, flooding is already declining dramatically, prompting Vy to call for the construction of a reservoir to preserve the water for the following dry season.