The Department of Water Management, Forests and Infrastructure under the Apsara National Authority (ANA) is working hard to open sluice gates and release water from some areas of the temple complex, as the Angkor Archaeological Park experiences heavy rainfall and strong winds, collapsing some trees.
The effects of the typhoon Noru from the Philippines have caused Cambodia to experience a low pressure front and continuous rainfall since mid-September. The heavy rains have caused flooding in many districts of Siem Reap province.
A significant amount of standing water has collected in the archaeological park, and excessive water levels need to be controlled.
In a report, the water management department said a team had released water from several temples, including Angkor Wat, Preah Khan, Ta Prohm and Bayon. The team utilised ancient canals to divert the water to the Siem Reap, Rolous, Puok and Preah Srok rivers so as not to have a negative impact on the temple complex or Siem Reap town.
The report said that specialists had also filled the ancient hydro-management system to ensure the balance of water consumption in the Angkor areas, such as West Baray, North Baray, the Angkor Thom moat, the Angkor Wat moat, Srah Srang, and the Preah Khan moat.
Several days of heavy rains had made the soil in the Angkor areas soft and strong winds had caused some trees to collapse, potentially affecting the temples, as well as threatening the safety of visitors and workers in the park.
Under these challenging circumstances, the ANA reminded the public, and especially tourists, to exercise increased caution when visiting the Angkor park. In particular, if it rains heavily, they should not take shelter or park under those trees to avoid any possible danger from falling branches.
