Since June, extreme weather and heavy rainfall has led to massive flooding across East, Southeast, and South Asia. In Southeast Asia, according to news reports, more Cambodians, Laotians and Vietnamese have died this year as a result of flooding than as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
As a first step to responding to this emergency, Aide et Action is working with local partners and authorities in Cambodia to develop aid kits to distribute to displaced families in the organisation’s project areas and beyond.
Cambodia
According to reports from the Cambodian Humanitarian Response Forum, as of 26 October, about 175,872 households in 14 provinces in Cambodia, including Phnom Penh, are reported to be affected by flash floods which has led to 38 reported deaths and 14,299 households displaced. In these areas, houses, infrastructure (roads, schools, health centres) and agricultural land have been inundated and 686 schools have been affected.
According to the National Committee for Disaster Management, the Royal Government of Cambodia has food and cash reserves in stock and is providing rice and crop seeds to flood-affected farming households and has also released 46,491 boxes of drinking water to distribute to affected households in four provinces. Aide et Action is working with local authorities, provincial governments and NGOs to support families further.
Phnom Penh – On Sunday 18 October 2020, Aide et Action supported 100 families in Dangkor district, Phnom Penh, with kits that included blankets, mosquito nets, food (noodles and fish), clothes and books and colouring pencils for children. Here, 200 families were displaced and relocated to emergency shelter.
Poipet, Banteay Meanchey (bordering Thailand) – On Wednesday 22 October, Aide et Action, in partnership with Damnok Toek, supported the establishment of a temporary learning centre for displaced children who had been moved with their families to a temporary shelter at Poipet city’s railway station. The centre provided a safe space for children to pick up books, colouring pages and colouring pencils and enjoy themselves.
Banteay Meanchey province – October 23, Aide et Action in partnership with local authorities and agricultural enterprise Angkor Green supported education and food aid kits for 190 poor farmers and their families.
Battamabang province – October 24-25, Aide et Action in partnership with local authorities and agricultural enterprise Angkor Green supported education and food aid kits for 250 poor farmers and their families.
Pursat province – October 26, Aide et Action in partnership with local authority and Angkor Green supported education and food aid kits for 60 poor farmers and their families.
AEA will continue to monitor the situation, identifying marginalized families in affected areas who are impacted by floods in the coming weeks across Kandal, Kampong Speu, Kampong Thom, Banteay Meanchey, and Pursat provinces.
Lao PDR
In Lao PDR, as of 22 October, 63 villages in the three provinces of Salawan, Savannakhet and Sekong with an estimated 10,637 households (69,764 people) were affected by floods and storms according to a situation report by the International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies.
Savannakhet is the worst affected province with 10,000 households affected. In Sekong province, almost 2,000 people are affected. Salawan province reported less than 300 people affected but reported a total of two deaths.
Provincial governments are working on localised responses to support the affected populations and support is also coming from the Lao Red Cross, the National Disaster Management Office local governments and other development agencies and donors. Aide et Action is not currently implementing projects in the affected areas but is monitoring the situation.
Vietnam
According to reports as of 22 October, the Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority has recorded 114 deaths, with 21 people still missing in Vietnam. 178,000 houses have been flooded and more than 889,000 people are reported to be directly affected. In addition, more than 113,000 hectares of agricultural land have been negatively impacted, and 7 million people have fallen into difficult conditions.