Cambodia to suffer from Typhoon Nari's impact

As flooding has subsided in most provinces, Cambodia would be suffering from the impact of a new typhoon from Oct. 16-18, the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology said Monday. Typhoon Nari, which hit the Philippines on Saturday, was brewing in the South China Sea early Monday and is expected to hit central Vietnam coast on Wednesday before weakening to a tropical storm and depression, the Ministry said in a statement. Nari will cause moderate-to-heavy rainfall in 13 out of Cambodia's 24 cities and provinces from Wednesday to Friday, the statement said. "Sea waves will be as high as 2 meters," it said. "Water levels at the Mekong River will slightly rise again." The Ministry also advised fishermen and maritime travelers to be extra-vigilant to avoid any possible dangers. The country has been hit by Mekong River and flash floods in recent weeks. Nhim Vanda, vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said Monday that in the last four weeks, floods have claimed at least 122 lives and affected some 1.5 million people. Besides, some 250,000 hectares of rice paddy had been submerged, he said, adding that some 110 km of national roads and over 300 km of gravel roads had been damaged.