Cambodia: Flooding forces 40 garment factories to suspend operations

Workers wading through flooded streets in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district. (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

According to Heng Sour, as of October 17, 62 factories in Phnom Penh, 13 in Kandal and four in Kampong Speu were affected by the floods. More than 30 factories are still operating normally.

Director of the labour department of Kampong Speu province Choek Borin said four factories in the locality had been submerged but their supply chains had not been affected and work was underway as usual.

The department is working to have timely response measures to support the factories and workers, he said, adding 145 factories in the province were still operating.

Deputy Secretary-General of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) Kaing Monika said the serious flooding has left critical impacts on GMAC members, who have suffered a lot from COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Monika, the flooding damaged factories’ property and disrupted production process, which will result in a delay in delivery time. Even when the water recedes, the flood-affected factories could not resume immediately because their machines and other tools need to be checked.

The labour ministry advised employers and workers in flood-prone areas to keep close watch on weather developments and outline rational evacuation measures in case of serious floods.

The National Committee for Disaster Management said seasonal rains made worse by a tropical storm caused flooding in 19 of the country’s 25 provinces, affecting livelihoods of 240,000 people, and killed 20 others including five children./.

VNA