UNDP announces 4 mln USD to Cambodia's flood-hit victims

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) decided to provide the emergency relief assistance of 4 million U.S. dollars to Cambodia in order to help flood- affected victims, Douglas Broderick, resident  representative of UNDP to Cambodia, said on Thursday.

Douglas announced the assistance during a meeting with Cambodia ' s Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace.

Meanwhile, on behalf of the UNDP, Douglas expressed a deep sympathy over the loss of lives and the damage to agricultural crops and infrastructure due to the floods.

In response, Hun Sen thanked the UNDP for the relief assistance and asked Douglas to proceed the donation to Cambodia as soon as possible so that the country will be able to distribute timely to flood-hit victims.

Hun Sen said the urgent tasks Cambodia has to do after the floods are crop re-planting and road rehabilitation.

Keo Vy, cabinet chief and spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management, said Thursday that the Mekong  River and flash floods have inundated 18 cities and provinces since early August. So far, at least 247 people were killed and  about 1.5 million people were affected.

He said that to date, 230,000 of rice paddies had been completely destroyed and other 400,000 hectares are still under water.  Moreover, nearly 3,000 kilometers of gravel roads and some 180 kilometers of national roads have been damaged.

"Our experts estimated that damge caused by the floods is equivalent to 521 million U.S. dollars, mainly rice paddies and roads," he told Xinhua.