Arya News - Provincial governor Cheam Chansophorn conducted a September 2 inspection of the impact on rice fields. He urged local authorities to accelerate their efforts to deliver water to farmers before the crops suffer further damage, according to the provincial administration.
PHNOM PENH – Nearly 60,000ha of wet-season rice across all eight towns and districts in Kampong Speu province have been affected by current drought conditions, which authorities have linked to a prolonged dry spell linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Provincial governor Cheam Chansophorn conducted a September 2 inspection of the impact on rice fields. He urged local authorities to accelerate their efforts to deliver water to farmers before the crops suffer further damage, according to the provincial administration.
The governor said some rice plants were already showing signs of severe stress, but there was still hope of saving much of the crop if water could be delivered in time.
Moderate to heavy rain over the past few days has also covered some rice fields across the province, helping the crops regain strength and withstand the dry conditions for longer.
“If water can be delivered to the affected areas within the next 10 days, or if the rain continues, farmers can regain hope. Overall, at least 70 per cent of the affected rice could be saved,” Chansophorn said.
He instructed authorities in three cities and districts without sufficient water sources to identify alternatives and work with the provincial Department of Water Resources and Meteorology to pump water from the Krang Ponley stream in Thpong district to nearby rice fields affected by drought.
Provincial Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department director Yim Norn listed the affected regions.
In Basedth district, 4,506ha were affected, while Chbar Mon had 993ha, Kong Pisei 7,394ha, Oral 793ha and Samraong Tong 24,115ha. All affected fields in these four districts and the city have been restored, he noted.
In Thpong, 4,421ha were affected, of which 2,195ha have been restored. Oudong Mechey had 5,249ha affected, with 1,714ha restored, while Samaki Monichey had 9,128ha affected, with 1,140ha restored.
The province’s 2026 wet-season rice production target was 120,527ha. By the end of August, farmers had planted 127,587ha through direct seeding and transplanting, equivalent to 105.86 per cent of the target and 8,228ha more than during the same period last year.