Disasters

A severe lack of rain and higher-than-normal temperatures in parts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have caused some farmers to leave their fields and rice paddies unplanted, sources inside the developing Southeast Asian countries said. Farmers in Ha Tinh province in central Vietnam have been forced ...

Thailand’s vital rice belt is being battered by one of the worst droughts in living memory with the prospect of a dismal main harvest. Water levels in some of the major reservoirs are at their lowest levels in 20 years, prompting the ruling junta to call ...

Long-awaited rain fell over four drought-struck provinces overnight and during the day, reviving withering rice crops but only slightly raising hopes of the upcountry regions coming out of the crisis.   While rice farmers in Surin, Maha Sarakham and Phayao were grateful for rain replenishing their crops, ...

Drought is persisting in 13 provinces as rain makes an appearance in the upper North and Northeast, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Chatchai Promlert said on Sunday. Earlier 40 provinces were reported as drought-hit. The situation in 27 provinces has eased because of the rain. Keep ...

Increasing heavy rains have caused severe flooding in the western state of Rakhine, Myanmar, destroying nearly 200 homes and causing serious damage to another hundred across four townships. During the first few days of the flooding, around 1,500 people were evacuated, and about 300 of ...

Starting 30 March 2015, residents of Banteay Meanchey, Pursat and Kampong Thom provinces can enrol in a disaster-response calling service through their phones in anticipation of the impending rainy season. “[In the past] the emergency comes before the information. The other channels we have used are ...

The Phnom Penh police’s fire brigade is creating a new committee to determine the cause of a blaze at O’Russei market on Sunday night, an official said. The flames, which started at about 10:30pm on the ground floor, completely burned down five stalls and damaged five ...

A fire ripped through Phnom Penh’s Phsar Chas, otherwise known as Old Market, on 24 November, destroying about 300 of its 914 stalls and causing an estimated $1.5 million in damages, authorities said, although no one was injured or killed. The blaze began at 7am and ...