Banteay Meanchey Residents Urge Authorities to Repair Severely Damaged Roads

Residents in Ou Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, are urging authorities to repair two key rural roads connecting National Road 5 and National Road 56. These roads link the provincial capital to three communes: Souphi, Song, and Changha. The roads are severely damaged, making travel extremely difficult, especially during the rainy season. Numerous residents living in these communes, along with credit officers and mobile vendors who rely on these routes, have appealed to the government for urgent road repairs to facilitate their travel and livelihoods. The roads have been in poor condition for a long time. Although asphalted in 2019, they quickly deteriorated and remain severely damaged. This situation poses significant difficulties for students attending school and patients needing medical treatment in the provincial capital. Locals emphasize the critical importance of these roads for connecting rural communes to the provincial center, yet the travel difficulties persist year after year. During the dry season, an unpaved road from National Road 56 in Poungro village, Serey Sophorn city, to Song commune is used due to its shorter distance. However, in the rainy season, this route becomes impassable due to mud, forcing people to use the asphalted road connecting Song and Souphi communes to National Road 5 at Rasouphi, near the Ou Chrov district hall. Despite numerous large potholes, this route remains navigable, albeit time-consuming. Mr. Chea Yutharun, Director of the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Department of Rural Development, stated that the aforementioned roads are part of the Ministry of Rural Development's projects. The road from Poungro to Changha, spanning over 7 kilometers, and another road from the Red School to Chhuk in Changha commune, have allocated budgets and are planned for implementation in 2027. The asphalted road from Rasouphi connecting to National Road 5 and leading to Song commune, measuring over 22 kilometers, is also slated for rehabilitation in 2027. It is noted that the difficulty in traveling during the current rainy season is not limited to these two roads. Many other roads in Banteay Meanchey province are also in poor condition, leading to public criticism and comments on social media platforms where users share photos of the damaged infrastructure. Source: Kampuchea Thmey Local