Like other cities, Phnom Penh has her own challenges. Besides the traffic jams people forever complain about, flooding is a seasonal issue that has long plagued this city. Whenever the rain is heavy enough, flooding inevitably causes travel problems- which is exactly what happened last few months.

The effects of flooding in Phnom Penh go beyond simple annoyance. Whenever there is heavy rain and many roads are flooded, the traffic diverts to roads which are not. This causes traffic jams which often last for hours. Over time the flooding causes the roads to erode, which will further impact the infrastructure of the city. Furthermore, when people are busy dealing with flooding, the level of economic activity slows down. If the flooding persists for multiple days, the economic disruption is even worse. People can not go to work, and students can not go for their classes. This is obviously another loss for the city and economy.

The issue of flooding in Phnom Penh during the rainy season is a hot topic for everyone. Often, the discussion is about the causes and solutions at the personal and public level. Among all the major concerns about the causes of flood in Phnom Penh, the filling in of lakes, and the city’s poor drainage system are the most prominent. Within the last decade, lakes around Phnom Penh such as Boeung Kak have been filled up with sand for development, whereas previously the lakes acted as important water storage basins. Without these lakes, the city’s waterways are blocked, and flooding inevitably happens as a result.

Phnom Penh’s drainage system, despite frequent changes and developments, is not yet adequate to cope with heavy rain, which often results in flooding. The chief concerns are the system’s poor quality and insufficient size. To make things worse, rubbish can often be seen blocking the drains, which makes flooding extremely common.

In general, flooding is an issue of poor urban planning. The rain will come, and providing that the issue is not dealt with properly, the city and her people will continue to suffer from floods. Therefore, it is obvious enough why we would like to see more attention and action from the authorities to prevent flooding in the city.