Over 300 buffalos, cows killed by drought in NE Cambodia

Over 300 buffalos, cows killed by drought in NE Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, April 28 : (Xinhua) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Thursday that prolonged drought had killed at least 301 buffalos and cows in northeastern country’s Stung Treng province.

“So far, 236 buffalos and 65 cows have died of hot temperatures, ” he said in a speech during a university graduation ceremony, calling on people to take care of their health and their animals’ health.

On Friday last week, a 45-year-old female elephant, which was used to carry tourists in the Angkor Archaeological Park in northwestern Siem Reap province, also collapsed and died due to heat stroke.

Hun Sen said that the country is being hit the worst by drought in 40 years and renewed his call on civil servants, armed forces, charitable organizations, drinking water producers, political parties, and private companies to continue distributing water to drought-hit villagers.

“Do not leave any people at risk of their lives due to water shortage,” he said. According to the weather forecast by the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, temperatures are as high as 41 degrees Celsius in some provinces in Cambodia on Thursday.

Keo Vy, spokesman for the National Center for Disaster Management, said on Monday that drought is causing severe water shortages in some 18 out of the kingdom’s 25 cities and provinces and affecting hundreds of thousands of people. He said the drought was forecast to continue until July due to the impacts of El Nino.