Cash-strapped, Dry: the New Killing Fields

As previously covered here and here, there are alarming signs that Cambodia will be in for a hard year if the drought refused to break.

Today's news from Vietnam News Agency warns "an estimated 500,000 Cambodians (are likely) to suffer food shortages" this year.

The World Food Programme is set to distribute 1,000 tonnes of emergency rice to villagers and is currently working out a distribution plan, Deputy Country Director Ramaraj Saravanamuttu said.

Meanwhile, the BBC News today reports the Red Cross effort to educate rural Cambodians about the dangers of unexploded ordnance (UXO).

This is an interesting colour piece, but largely misses the point raised here that the economics of scavenging for scrap metal continues to make this an attractive option for cash-strapped farmers.

If the drought continues, then the temptation to gather UXO for scrap must surely grow. Especially if the dry rice fields fail to generate money from planting.

The grim reality is that the world can expect the toll to rise; even inspite of fresh attempts to outlaw trade in UXO scrap metals.