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Introduction – The remarkable story of EWS1294, the national early warning system of Cambodia
In the 2021 World Risk Report, Cambodia was ranked as one of the top 15 most disaster-prone countries globally . Severe floods are a major and recurrent hazard in Cambodia, affecting more than 25 % of the Cambodian population. Due to a lack of disaster preparedness and coping capacities, lives and livelihoods are highly impacted, so are economic development and natural resources, according to the 2015 Cambodia’s Second National Communication to the UNFCCC3 . Projected climate change trends also indicate an increase in both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and more severe floods in the coming decades. Without action, by 2040, around 180,000 people more will be affected by extreme river flooding. EWS1294 provides an upstream response to flood and disaster risk challenges by disseminating timely and reliable information to communities at risk.
Several floods in the 2000s and 2010s severely affected the lives and livelihoods of Cambodian people in about 20 provinces. According to a study4 by the Ministry of Environment (2011) following the 2010 floods, 36% of Cambodians did not receive any information about the risk, and 72% of Cambodians who received warnings received them too late. In 2013, flooding affected more than 1.8 million people across 20 provinces in Cambodia. During this time, many families were unprepared for the intensity of the storms, nor were they aware of the severity of the flooding, affecting their lives and livelihoods.
Recognizing that the lack of flood information and warnings prevented families from preparing for floods, resulting in significant human and economic losses, People in Need (PIN) further supported the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) in disaster risk reduction and flood resilience. Thus, began the story of EWS1294 in 2013, in response to the absence of any structured early warning system in Cambodia. Named after the mobile short code “1294”, EWS1294 began first as a voice-based mobile phone early warning information dissemination system piloted in three flood-prone villages in Pursat province in 2013. Over the past 9 years, and thanks to support from international donors and close collaboration with NCDM, EWS1294 has seen progress in its expansion across Cambodia Enhanced over the past years, the EWS1294 is now a life-saving system that provides accurate and timely flood information to national and provincial authorities, and allows them to easily and quickly disseminate reliable warning messages to at-risk communities regarding climatic or societal hazards. EWS1294 is now officially recognized and owned by the Royal Government of Cambodia as the national early warning system, covering all Cambodian provinces.