General situation
The annual report of the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) for 2008 indicates there was little or no flood damage in the country during the year that could be linked to hydrological conditions along the Mekong mainstream, the Bassac and in the Tonle Sap Basin. Flood warning levels were not exceeded at any time. The only flood losses arose from flash flooding caused by a series of tropical storms during the latter part of September in Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom and Bantay Meanchey Provinces which damaged about 10 500 hectares of crops, mainly rice. The NCDM estimate of the cost of the associated damage is US$5.7 million, or about US$550 per hectare inundated. The figure for 2008 is below the average annual financial loss and less than 4% of that arising from the most extreme event of recent decades which took place in 2000:
Year | National
flood damage (US$ million) |
2000 | 161.0 |
2001 | 36.0 |
2002 | 12.5 |
2003 | no data |
2004 | 55.0 |
2005 | 3.8 |
2006 | 11.8 |
2007 | 9.1 |
2008 | 5.7 |
Lessons learnt
Since minimal flood damage was reported for 2008 no direct lessons can be drawn specific to the year’s events. The general observations and recommendations made in previous years continue to apply, however. In the main these emphasize the need for a stronger financial commitment to national disaster management and improved inter-agency coordination. Specifically it is recognized that: