Flash flooding in Kampot.
Image from afitzgerald on current.com
Cambodia has two seasons: monsoon and dry season. Since many areas of Cambodia contain high drainage densities and low permeability, meaning fewer places for the intense rainwater to absorb into the soil or drain nicely into rivers or streams, flash flooding presents a common problem.
 |
Map of the Tonle Sap and Mekong river
Image from Wikipedia |
Most of Cambodia’s rivers and streams empty into the Mekong River, the largest river in Southeast Asia, or the Tonle Sap Basin. Water from nearby streams feed into collective areas called drainage basins. The drainage pattern of the Tonle Sap’s adjoining rivers is shaped like tree branches, indicating that it is a dendritic basin.
 |
E.coli rope test sampling.
Image by Andrew Shantz on andrewincambodia.blogspot.com |
Most Cambodians lack plumbing and draw their water from wells, which pump water from permeable formations called aquifers. During the dry season, droughts present limitations on the water supplies available. The threat of drawdown, or the depletion of water from wells faster than it is produced, is a also a major concern along with worries of contamination due to pollution, drainage, and bacteria. Technology provides some relief from all of that, however, as ceramic filters that trap bacteria and E. coli rope tests are being introduced to save lives.
Sources:
Andrew Shantz (andrewincambodia.blogspot.com)
http://www.africanwater.org/mekong_river.htm
I like how you included how the streams and rivers flowed into areas where there are drainages. I also liked how you gave an example of where the water drainages were located in your map. You can add more details about the branches the streams feed into and becomes a dendritic basin.
ReplyDeleteGood post! You did a really good job at explaining why there are high occurances of flash floods in this region as well as what type of drainage system that you see there too. It would be interesting to know how many lives have been taken due to the bacteria in the water and how this new technology is preventing more deaths. Overall, good job in your explainations in the forms and processes that you brought up.
ReplyDelete