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Cambodia has faced two major weather events in 2026: a drought that intensified in July and severe flooding in September, which are linked to El Niño. The back-to-back disasters damaged crops, homes and infrastructure, leaving thousands of farming families struggling.
Authorities have rushed to provide emergency assistance to families affected by heavy rain and flooding across several provinces, as rising waters damaged homes, roads, rice fields and essential services. The response comes after weeks of erratic weather linked to the current El Niño cycle, which brought prolonged dry spells and heavy downpours to parts of the country.
In July, the drought affected nearly 290,000 hectares of rice fields across eight provinces, according to the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM).
In September, heavy rainfall caused flooding in 10 provinces, affecting nearly 60,000 families and forcing the evacuation of about 5,000 families to safe areas. Some 150,000 hectares of rice fields were flooded at the time, accounting for around 5% of three million hectares of wet-season rice in the country, NCDM said.
More extreme El Niño effects expected
The disaster is predicted to be more extreme. An unprecedented, record-shattering “Super El Niño” is active in the Pacific Ocean and could persist through February 2027, with a peak expected in late 2026.
This October, Cambodia is affected by Champi, the 30th storm of the year, bringing rain and thunderstorms to 30% to 50% of the country until October 23. Champi developed from a low-pressure system in the western Pacific Ocean and is influencing southwest monsoon winds over the Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea, South China Sea, the Mekong Basin, and inland and coastal areas, according to the Water Resources and Meteorology Ministry.
Cambodia would still be affected by the pressure through medium rainfall, strong winds and thunderstorms, notwithstanding the effects of Champi, the ministry said recently.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has warned that more than 400 health centers across Cambodia are at risk of natural disasters, including floods, as El Niño disrupts rainfall patterns and brings drought and heavy downpours to parts of the country. The effects also put around 1.3 million Cambodian children at risk of climate-related impacts.
On October 13, heavy rainfall hit Krakor district in Pursat province resulting in Krakor Referral Hospital becoming inundated. Medical staff had to move 152 patients to safety and transfer seriously ill patients to the provincial referral hospital.
Deputy Krakor Referral Hospital director Cheang Sokhun told CamboJA News that the flood waters have receded almost completely from the hospital compound. He said hospital staff are rushing to clean up and restore operation.
“We can move patients back to the hospital today but we have not been able to clear the mess. But everything is under control now,” Sokhun said. “Only a few hospital equipment was damaged.”
He added that the number of patients has decreased to around 100 and they are able to move to the hospital to receive steady treatment.
NCDM spokesperson Soth Kimkolmony told CamboJA News that the committee was working with local authorities to assess the damage and support affected communities, adding that the situation was under control.
In Battambang province, governor Sok Lou provided aid to more than 1,300 families affected by the floods in Rukh Kiri district, Moung Ruessei, Koas Krala, and Battambang municipality. He advised people to take care of their health, especially the elderly and young children, and be cautious of dengue fever.
A double blow for farmers
Climate change is not the only challenge facing farmers. The war in the Middle East and the Cambodia–Thailand border conflict, which have driven up the cost of fuel, fertilizer and agricultural chemicals, impact their livelihood.
The effects of El Niño — drought, flooding and higher temperatures — have only added to the pressure.
For many farmers, heavy rain and floods came shortly after the drought, exacerbating losses. Authorities assessed the damage, evacuated families and prepared rice seeds for replanting, but the scale of destruction has renewed calls for stronger water management, early warning systems and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Battambang was among the hardest flood-hit provinces in September. Provincial disaster officials reported that all 14 cities and districts were affected, disrupting the lives of 21,807 families. The flood also damaged 19,291 houses, 780 infrastructure facilities and 35,612 hectares of rice crops. More than 2,700 people were evacuated to safe locations.
Chat Chhan, a farmer in Ou Ta Ki village and commune in Thma Koul district, said he experienced two major natural disasters this year—drought in July and flood in October. His rice fields rely on water supplied from the Kamping Puoy Reservoir to downstream channels. Six hectares of rice fields were affected by intense drought.
Chhan tried to rehabilitate his rice field by using fertilizers to raise productivity. Unfortunately, severe rainfall affected rice production, compounded by the absence of an irrigation network to release the water. “I took out a loan to buy fertilizer and pesticide to revitalize my rice field and recover the losses [from the drought], but now I cannot harvest my crops due to the flood,” he said. “It is all inundated.”
“I don’t know how I can pay back the loan if flooding continues,” Chhan lamented.
Kim Finan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), said as of October 16, 2026, floods have affected 14 provinces. Recent floods affected 240,583 hectares of agricultural crops—5.97% of the country’s total cultivated area—and damaged 107,353 hectares, or 2.66%, he told CamboJA News.
Of the affected land, rice crops accounted for 221,991 hectares, with 98,662 hectares damaged. Mixed food and economic-support crops accounted for another 18,592 hectares, of which 8,691 hectares were damaged.
However, Finan could not comment on the solution as the NCDM is assessing its impact. “For solutions on affected rice crops, the NCDM is studying the impact aligned with our roadmap,” he said.
When contacted on Friday, NCDM spokesperson Soth Kimkolmony said he was busy and asked for questions to be sent via Telegram. However, he did not respond at press time.
Addressing agricultural damage
In Banteay Meanchey province, authorities inspected the damage caused by the floods on rice fields in Dei Lot village, Teuk Thla commune, Serei Saophoan municipality.
The flood had affected 13 cities and districts in Siem Reap province, particularly 86 communes and 504 villages. Some 27,115 families were impacted by it, as well as damage to 34,519 hectares of rice fields and local infrastructure. Of the rice fields, 2,510 hectares could not be restored, according to the first vice president of NCDM, Kun Kim.
On his Facebook, Kim said the assessment is important for informing decisions, prioritising aid and requesting necessary resources through the Cambodian Food Reserve System to meet the needs of affected people.
“I have advised the specialised departments to work with affected municipalities and districts to speed up damage assessments and determine the provision of rice varieties for rehabilitation,” he said.
In Oddar Meanchey province, floods hit 23 communes and 136 villages, damaging 3,804 hectares of rice crops. Some 2,913 families were also affected.
Pursat governor and Provincial Disaster Management Committee head Khoy Rida said the flood affected many families and their agricultural products. Authorities are working to address the impact by providing seeds to families whose rice fields were flooded so that they can start replanting after the water has receded. But families whose rice products were damaged would receive aid, he added.
“The flooding affected people’s livelihood because it damaged their rice products; some were completely damaged. We are discussing with relevant authorities to address the issues,” he said.
Rida is worried that heavy rainfall will flood more areas in Pursat, destroying rice fields and infrastructure.
According to preliminary results of the meeting, 21 communes in five cities and districts were affected by the floods in Pursat. Rice crops covering 3,501 hectares have been damaged across 19 communes, affecting 2,435 families.
Met Measpheakdey, deputy governor and spokesperson for the Oddar Meanchey Provincial Administration, did not respond to requests for comment.
Tum Phunlok, Ou Ta Ki commune councillor, in Thma Koul district, Battambang, said that roughly 95 percent of the total 9,000 hectares of rice fields were inundated. Some of the affected families were given assistance, including food supplies like rice and cooking essentials.
“We are assessing the impact of the flood and commute data so that we can request support from provincial authorities,” he told CamboJA News.
Phunlok’s commune administration is collecting data about the affected families whose rice products were damaged by the flood. According to Ou Ta Ki commune’s letter seen by CamboJA News, 187 families out of 949 are listed as “highly affected” families, and require food supplies. “We need new rice seeds for replanting to replace the damaged agricultural products. We are asking the relevant authorities for seeds, ” Phunlok says.
Meach Sovannara, president of New Generation Party, said that irrigation systems and infrastructure are vital for effective disaster response. He said expanding infrastructure such as reservoirs can help release water from rice fields during flood events and irrigate rice fields during drought events.
“Since we cannot foresee the specific nature of climate disasters or how conditions might shift, we must devise strategies and methodologies to mitigate these risks,” he said. “We need to expand irrigation infrastructure so that it reaches everywhere—much like the circulatory system within the human body.”
To prevent unprecedented national disasters, Cambodia has to prepare well and implement a national disaster management plan with relevant ministries and institutions.