Is Chinese money drowning Sihanoukville, Cambodia? Floods blamed on rapid pace of development
- The coastal city has become a focal point for investment from China, but the pace of development has outpaced essential town planning
- When floods caused extensive damage last month it raised safety concerns, and worries that things are only going to get worse
Maggie Eno and her Cambodian staff wade through thigh-high murky water as they assess the devastating damage at their headquarters. Destruction surrounds them as they start the huge task of clearing up in the wake of unprecedented flooding that left Cambodian coastal city Sihanoukville under water.
“Our building has been here for 11 years and we’ve never seen flooding like this,” says Eno, co-director of M’lop Tapang, a non-profit organisation that works with thousands of vulnerable children and adults in the province. “People here are worried and frustrated. It’s a very dangerous situation.”
The floods that battered Cambodia’s southern coast last month saw parts of M’lop Tapang’s headquarters – home to its education centre and clinic – engulfed by two metres of water. Elsewhere in the once sleepy seaside city, thousands of homes and livelihoods were destroyed by the heavy rains that transformed roads into perilous, fast-flowing rivers.
Two construction workers were killed when a fence collapsed and another man died after a brick factory wall collapsed during the torrential rains. A total of 1,736 families were affected, 937 houses left waterlogged and 456 people evacuated, according to Sihanoukville provincial officials.
While Sihanoukville is no stranger to flash flooding – the coastal city endures a five-month monsoon season during which it is battered by rain – residents say they have never witnessed water levels like this.
Tha Sok Lay, 38, a restaurant owner at Otres beach, said within one hour the water was more than one metre high. Tha Sok Lay and her staff fled the restaurant for high land, watching the business being ravaged by the rapidly rising waters. “The flood came so fast,” she recalls. “It’s never happened like this in the past. No-one was ready for it, so we didn’t know how to prepare for the flooding or try to prevent damage.”
Now the water levels have receded in most areas, but fears remain that the next imminent bout of heavy rains will see the situation spiral out of control as construction in the compact city continues at a rapid pace.
According to Thon Ratha, of environmental NGO Mother Nature Cambodia, much of the blame lies with the heavy Chinese investment in Sihanoukville. As home to Cambodia’s only deep water port – part of a vital trade route for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative – the city has become a focal point for investment from the Asian superpower.
As Beijing expands its economic influence in Asia, it has found a willing partner in Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has welcomed Chinese state-owned companies into the nation to build a port, along with roads, bridges, industrial estates and hydroelectric plants.
Recent years have seen Sihanoukville develop at an exponential rate as investment from China pours in. Today the skyline is pierced with the construction of towering casinos, high-rise condominiums and hotels.
By contrast, crucial water management infrastructure development has not kept apace, putting a strain on sewage systems, and the management of water flow and waste disposal.
“The development of the construction projects is carried out at rocket speed,” Thon Ratha says. “There are only so many hotels and casinos that can be built in a small city without upgrading the infrastructure.”
Many natural water filter systems have also been filled in, including huge areas of marshland and lakes that once absorbed heavy rains. For example, huge parts of Boeung Prek Tub lake have been lost to pave the way for construction.
“This lake collected lots of water during the rainy season and now it has been filled for development,” Thon Ratha says.
You don’t need to be a scientist to figure out there will be a flooding disaster. We could start to see floods increasing across the city. This [recent flood] was like nothing before. It was scary
Son Dara works in a casino close to central Lion’s Roundabout. He notes that in the seven years he has lived in the city, he has never witnessed flooding like last month’s.
“It used to flood for short times and then the water went after an hour or so. Because there is only about 5 per cent of Boeung Prek Tub left, there is nowhere for the water to flow,” the 27-year-old says.
Son Dara’s was one of the 159 motorbikes, along with 59 other vehicles, authorities reported to have been damaged due to the floods.
Eno also notes an increase in the severity of flooding in the city centre since a year ago, when surrounding marshland started to be filled in and high-rise buildings were flung up.
“We are in a vulnerable area and when it rains heavily, we do flood,” she says. “In September [last year], after a lot of construction began in the area, we started suffering from a lot more frequent flash flooding and the water started rising at a very fast rate, and going much higher than it’s ever gone before.
“Since then, more buildings have gone up and more lakes have been filled in but nothing has been done to improve the infrastructure needed [to cope with this],” she adds. “You don’t need to be a scientist to figure out there will be a flooding disaster. We could start to see floods increasing across the city. This [recent flood] was like nothing before. It was scary.”
Since the floods, authorities have been working to try and minimise any future impact. Recently appointed governor Kuoch Chamroeun has ordered that the city’s canals be repaired and expanded. Excavators are also working to expand rivers to enable them to absorb more rainwater, and experts have been called in from the capital Phnom Penh to assess the situation.
The flood damage is the latest concern from locals over the rapid rate of development in Sihanoukville. There are currently almost 200 construction projects under way in the city, mainly driven by Chinese investment.
“Cities are supposed to be for people and built for people,” says Eno. “This has not happened in Sihanoukville. You need proper planning, and for the infrastructure to keep up with the level of development. When this city was developed, the people were completely forgotten. With proper city planning, this could have been prevented.”
In July, a report by Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities revealed more than 90 per cent of businesses in Sihanoukville are Chinese. It noted that of the province’s 156 hotels and guest houses, 150 are Chinese-owned. A total of 48 out of the 62 casinos have been developed with Chinese investment, with 95 per cent of the 436 restaurants managed by Chinese. By the end of 2019, the city will be home to more than 70 casinos.
In the city centre, the plethora of local eateries, noodle stalls and cafes that once dotted Sihanoukville have been replaced with businesses bearing Chinese signs. Local produce sold at the markets has gone and soaring land prices have pushed many local families to the outskirts of the city.
Eno says this has hugely affected the sense of community in Sihanoukville.
“The development has been so rapid that there has been no time for integration between the Chinese and the local community. There is no understanding of each other’s culture and language. For me, this is so important in building a strong community and from our point of view, this is extremely harmful.”
Thon Ratha is also calling for better inspection and monitoring of construction projects. “This is of great concern for residents who live in the Sihanoukville city and province,” he says.
In June, 28 construction workers were killed when a seven-storey building collapsed. Three Chinese nationals and one Cambodian were arrested. Early last month, Kuoch Chamroeun, who was appointed governor after his predecessor, Yun Min, resigned in the wake of the fatal building disaster, ordered the demolition of two recently finished buildings that were deemed unsafe by officials. Both were owned by Chinese nationals.
In the wake of the floods, the clean-up in Sihanoukville continues as residents and businesses count the cost of the damage. However, concerns remain that when heavy rains inevitably hit Sihanoukville next, the city will once again sink.
“There is a real fear about what will happen when the next heavy rains come,” Eno says.
