South Lao flood damage exceeds $60m

Flood damage from last month\'s storms in the south of Laos has reached 500 billion kip (60 million U.S. dollars), according to state-run newspaper Vientiane Times on Thursday. Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Director Mr Soudalay told local media that the agricultural sector of Saravan, the hardest-hit province, has sustained about 249 billion kip (31.66 million U.S. dollars) worth of damage. \"We lost a lot, with rice fields in Khongxedon and Vapy districts hit especially hard in the floods,\" he said. Severe storms caused widespread flooding and torrential rain in the south of Laos between September 18 and 24, causing significant damage throughout four provinces. Approximately 18,000 hectares of agricultural land was affected in Saravan including the destruction of irrigation and other important agricultural infrastructure. Soudalay said that provincial authorities were working with local farmers by supplying them with three month\'s worth of rice for consumption as well as seeds to replenish the destroyed crops. In Champassak province, 120,000 people were affected and four people died as flood waters struck. Nine houses were completely swept away in the disaster. Two drinking water factories, 18 brick factories, 44 rice mills, and a multitude of wells and vehicles were also damaged. Provincial authorities said that local people need another 1, 800 tonnes of rice and another 3,600 tonnes in the long term. Meanwhile in the north of Laos, the provinces are still recovering from separate flooding resultant from tropical storm Jebi which passed through Laos on Aug. 20 and 21, killing 17.