Phnom Penh (VNA) – The European Union (EU) is offering 400,000 EUR (470,000 USD) to provide critical humanitarianassistance to families affected by severe flooding, which has wreaked havocacross large parts of Cambodia since the beginning of October, Cambodia'sAgence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) reported on October 29.

According to theEuropean Commission, the aid will focus on addressing the urgent needs of themost affected people in the worst hit provinces in the country’s northwest.

“Thiscontribution underlines our solidarity with the people of Cambodia, many ofwhom have suffered the loss of homes, livelihoods and belongings in the wake ofthe devastating floods,” Olivier Brouant, who oversees the EU’s humanitarian response in theMekong region, was quoted as saying.

The funding,which is part of the EU’s Acute Large Emergency Response Tool (ALERT), willsupport Save the Children and World Vision in delivering much-needed assistanceto those most in need. This includes the distribution of clean water, hygienekits and other essential relief items while ensuring access to sanitationfacilities and good hygiene practices.

As of October 28evening, the ongoing floods have affected 121 districts and cities in thecountry’s 20 of the 25 provinces and capital city, claiming 44 lives.

A total of149,857 families have been affected, of them 11,896 families have beenevacuated to the safety ground.

Besides, 134,003houses, 951 schools, 307 pagodas, 284,961 hectares of rice fields, 97,029hectares of subsidiary crops, and many roads, bridges, canals have been floodedand damaged.

On October 17,the US Embassy in Phnom Penh announced that the US, through the US Agency forInternational Development (USAID), provided 100,000 USD in immediatehumanitarian aid to support response efforts to severe flooding in Cambodia./.