Farmers battling drought in Battambang

In Banan district, hundreds of farmers are struggling to survive as their crops are being destroyed due to a lack of water. Desperate, they are calling on the government to come to their aid as the Ministry of Rural Development today celebrates World Water Day.

Banan district, Battambang province – Has Sarath stands on a bank of a pond in Slap Pang village here that villagers used to utilise as one of their main sources of water. The pond, which was dug by a Japanese organisation years ago, is now almost dry.

“There is a serious shortage of water this year, there has been no rain since the end of October,” Mr Sarath says. “This pond is almost dry and the water is not enough to sustain villagers because of the extremely hot weather.” The 63-year-old farmer says weather conditions this year are much hotter than previous years, and rice crops are almost completely damaged. “This year is more difficult than last year, there is no rain. It causes damage to rice crops,” Mr Sarath says. “We tried to pump water into the canal near the village, but we can’t manage it.”

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