RECENT flash floods in Laos appear to be subsiding and do not pose an imminent threat to Cambodian provinces downstream, officials said Sunday. 

Hatda An, operations manager at the Mekong River Commission's Regional Flood Management and Mitigation Centre, said that the floods in Laos' capital Vientiane have ceased to be a major cause for concern as the water level, which was at a critical point from August 8 to 10, has dropped in recent days.

"If there is no more rain it will not affect Cambodia badly," said Hatda An, who visited the flooded areas in Vientiane last week. "The water will subside."

Mao Hak, director of the Hydrology and River Works Department at the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, said the water levels for upstream provinces such as Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham had declined, but the department was still monitoring them closely.

Officials last week expressed alarm at rising river levels.

Pao Samy, secretary general of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said that authorities at all levels are preparing for the worst and are ready to intervene if a natural disaster should strike.

Uy Sam Ath, director of disaster management at the Cambodian Red Cross, said his department had set aside some 100 tonnes of rice to distribute to flood victims this year.