Mekong River Commission

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5. The 2008 flood season

5.7 Conditions on the Cambodian floodplain and in the Delta

Consistent with the systematic diminishing of the magnitude 2008 flood downstream of Vientiane, daily water levels in Cambodia and the Delta were unexceptional during the season as can be seen from Figure 5.12.

Figure 5.12: Mean daily water levels in Cambodia and the Mekong Delta for 2008 compared to their long term daily average.

In 2008 the start and end of the flood season, defined as the period of the year when water levels exceed their long term average, were typical, except at Prek Kdam where the season did not end until the first week of 2009:

Table 5.6: Cambodian floodplain and Mekong Delta – onset and end dates of the 2008 flood season compared to their historical mean and standard deviation.

Site		Onset of flood season		End of flood season
	Historical average	Standard Deviation	2008	Historical average	Standard Deviation	2008
Phnom Penh	10th July	14 days	9th July	14th Nov	14 days	15th Dec
Prek Kdam	11th July	16 days	8th July	20th Dec	17 days	3rd Jan
Tan Chau	19th July	20 days	18th July	17th Dec	12 days	16th Dec
Chau Doc	23rd July	17 days	22nd July	19th Dec	12 days	19th Dec

Meanwhile, the maximum water levels achieved in 2008 fell well below the annual average figures:

Table 5.7: Maximum water levels reached during 2008 in Cambodia and the Mekong Delta compared to their long term average.

Site	Period of Record	Annual maximum water level. (masl)
		Historical average	Standard Deviation	2008
Phnom Penh Port	1960 – 2008	9.02	0.67	8.49
Prek Kdam	1960 – 2008	9.08	0.73	8.63
Tan Chau	1980 – 2008	4.30	0.54	3.73
Chao Doc	1980 – 2008	3.82	0.58	3.14

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