By: Chhum Chantha

PHNOM PENH – A total of 4,759 hectares of rice plantations in Pursat province have been damaged by flooding since last week, an agriculture official has confirmed. 

The report came after Touch Bunhuor, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, led a group of officials to inspect flood-affected areas.

Floods have damaged plantations in Phnum Kravanh, Kandieng and Pursat districts, affecting 19 communes and 131 villages, Bunhuor said. 

In Phnum Kravanh area, about 233 hectares of rice plantations were ruined. Twenty-one hectares of dry-season rice farms were completely damaged and 332 hectares of industrial and horticulture plantations were also flooded.

The industrial and horticulture plantations included 74 hectares of cassava, 89 hectares of corn, 118 hectares of beans and 52 hectares of other crops, the official added. 

As many as 2,275 hectares of rice plantations were damaged, including 494 hectares of dry-season rice. Meanwhile, a total of 2,252 hectares were ruined in Pursat municipality, with 513 hectares of dry-season rice destroyed. 

Rainwater since Nov. 18 has surged into the Pursat River Basin and flooded five districts with the level reaching the alert height of 5.5 meters. 

The provincial administration had safety shelters prepared and forces standing by for evacuations. 

About 3,500 families have been affected, of whom 545 families along the river were evacuated. A total of 3,338 hectares of rice farms had been ruined, said the National Committee for Disaster Management as of Nov. 22. 

Published Date: November 27, 2025