CAMBODIA ROLLS OUT EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS TO SAFEGUARD FARMERS FROM CLIMATE RISKS

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Cambodia has taken a major step toward protecting nearly 80 per cent of its rural population from unpredictable climate hazards by launching a nationwide early warning systems roadmap.  

The move is crucial in protecting the country’s farming communities - which account for at least 65 per cent of its 17 million people - from various weather-related disasters, such as floods and landslides that destroy lives and farmlands. 

“The successful implementation of the Early Warning for All roadmap will depend on a strong, government-led institutional mechanism that effectively mobilises all relevant ministries and partners in the delivery of timely, reliable alerts to save lives and livelihoods,” United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cambodia Jo Scheuer said at the launching in the capital on Thursday.

Built on four key pillars – risk knowledge, observation and forecasting, warning dissemination and communication, and preparedness and response – the roadmap aims to help farmers better anticipate and manage climate risks.

Cambodia, like its agrarian neighbours Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, is vulnerable to harsh weather conditions that can undermine its economy stability and food security. 

In Vietnam, torrential rains and floods this week killed 41 people. The extreme weather also devastated lobster farmers in Dak Lak Province, the country’s largest lobster-farming area, wiping out an entire year’s earnings as floods destroyed lobsters in cages that were ready for harvest.

“With nearly 80 per cent of Cambodians living in rural, climate-sensitive areas and about 65 per cent relying on agriculture, timely warnings for floods, droughts and storms are critical for food security,” the World Food Programme (WFP), which is partnering with the government on the project, said in a statement.

However, funding gaps remain. Despite a Green Climate Fund allocation of RM430 million (US$103.2 million) for a regional early warning system, Cambodia still faces a shortfall of RM95 million (US$22.7 million), approximately 41 per cent of the roadmap’s estimated cost.

“The real work begins now. We need to move swiftly from roadmap to action, mobilising resources, linking early warnings to local response, and ensuring that every community is ready to act when it matters most,” said WFP Representative in Cambodia Kyungnan Park.

-- BERNAMA