SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

13 - Flood in the Lower Mekong basinWhen flood-damaged roads and bridges are not restoredquickly, transportation and shipping costs rise and withthem, the prices paid by consumersDuring prolonged flooding, community and family socialstructures are disrupted and individuals suffer increasedstress-related problemsDamaged hospitals and clinics seriously limitthe availability of health services at a timewhen the risk of flood-related diseases ishigh. Children frequently loose many weeksof education as schools are flooded ordamaged. During prolonged flooding,community and family social structures aredisrupted and individuals suffer increasedstress-related problems related temporarydisplacement, anxiety, etc. Followingfloods, there is often increased rural-urbanmigration of flood-affected people seekingwork.The impacts of flooding on the poor areparticularly significant. In Cambodia, forexample, rural households generally haveone hectare of rice land. The loss of 350,000ha of paddy during the 2000 floods meantthat a very large number of households losttheir primary asset for assuring their ownfood security, as well as for generating cashincome. Catastrophic events such as thisoften cause households to sell their land inorder to buy food or other essentials, withsignificantly higher risks that they will fallbelow the poverty line or not be able to getout of poverty.5. Trends, hotspots and trans-boundary issuesThe interaction of natural and man-made factors suggests a number of important trends for floodingand the effects on people living in the basin. Some of these may become serious hotspots or transboundaryissues among the riparian countries.5.1. Increasing frequency of serious floods: As measured by the number of people killed byfloods, historical data suggest that the frequency of serious floods is increasing in the basin. Forexample, in Viet Nam about 540 people were killed by floods and typhoons annually in the years1985-1989, compared with 225 people killed in the 1976-1979 period. 165.2 Increased flooding in low-lying coastal and estuary areas: Climate changes that increasetemperatures and sea levels will cause greater flooding in low-lying estuary areas in the MekongDelta. Effects may include altered flow of estuaries, coastal rivers and wetlands, and increasederosion and salinisation of tidal wetlands and coastal mangrove forests.277