Dam Collapses in Cambodia’s Kampot Province

Dam collapses in Cambodia’s Kampot province

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) — The collapse of Prateak Krala Dam in Kampot province has flooded hundreds of hectares of rice fields and left thousands without access to water, local press reported Wednesday.

The dam, built to protect 600 hectares of land in the province and withhold around 15 million cubic meters of water, fell apart early Tuesday morning, reported Cambodian-language newspaper the Koh Santepheap.

However, deputy provincial governor Khoy Khun Huor said that noone was injured during the collapse as there was a timely evacuation.

“No citizen was hurt because we knew the dam would collapse in advance,” he said.

The collapse has caused the flooding of 1,000 hectares of paddyfields and left up to 3,000 families without access to water, reported the Cambodia Daily.

The collapse was a result of soil erosion at its southern section, said Cambodian-language newspaper the Rasmei Kampuchea, adding that the water surge also damaged a newly-built bridge downstream.

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