U.S. provides additional flood relief aid of nearly 1.5 mln USD to Cambodia

The United States through the U. S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), is providing nearly 1.5 million U.S. dollars to Cambodia to address critical needs in drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, agriculture, and livelihoods support during the flooding, according to a press release from the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. This amount is in addition to the initial 50,000 U.S. dollars provided in October for distribution of emergency relief supplies, it said. The relief aid will go to three of the most-affected provinces - - Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, and Kandal. It said "Save the Children," a non-governmental organization, will receive an additional grant for 750,000 U.S. dollars, and 31, 500 Cambodians will be the direct beneficiaries of this grant in Kampong Cham province. The World Vision will receive a grant for 721,807 U.S. dollars and will reach 27,000 affected Cambodians in Kandal and Kampong Thom provinces. Overall, these organizations will reach approximately 58,500 of the most vulnerable and flood-affected people over the next six months, it said. The Mekong River and flash floods have inundated 18 cities and provinces in Cambodia since early August. At least 247 people were killed and about 1.5 million people were affected, according to the reports of the National Committee for Disaster Management. It said the floods have caused damage, mainly to rice paddies and roads, which is worth 521 million U.S. dollars.