Traeuy Kaoh Commune | Kampot Province
Geographic Setting:
Traeuy Kaoh is one of the 14 communes that compose Kampot District in southern Cambodia. It lies on the eastern bank of the Prek Kdam River, southeast of the provincial capital Kampot City and west of Sihanoukville International Airport. The commune shares borders with Sampov Meas to the north, Preah Snuol to the east, Keut Saong to the south, and the mangrove‑lined coastal belt that forms the Gulf of Thailand watershed to the southwest.
Official Land Area:
According to the Ministry of Planning’s 2019 Gazetteer of Communes, Traeuy Kaoh covers a total surface of 40.3 km² (≈ 9,960 acres). The terrain consists mainly of low‑lying alluvial plains in the centre, secondary forest patches on the western fringe, and a small coastal strip that includes part of a mangrove ecosystem formally classified as a community conservation zone in 2018.
Population:
The most recent commune‑level population count recorded 6,435 inhabitants living in 1,387 households. Males numbered 3,212 while females totalled 3,223, yielding a sex ratio of 1.00 male per female. Age structure shows that individuals under 30 years comprise 58 % of the population; the median age is 22 years.
Administrative Subdivision:
Traeuy Kaoh is divided into five villages (phum): Traeuy Kaoh, Prey Chhai, Kampong Srae, Bak Toch, and Lâng Krieng. Within these villages there are twelve hamlets (kums). Each kum elects a headman who participates in the Commune Development Committee (CDC) meetings, which coordinate service delivery with district officials.
Economic Profile:
- Cultivated Land is 8.9 km² (≈ 22 % of total commune area). Paddy rice occupies about 5.2 km², yielding an average production of 4.6 tonnes per hectare in 2020–2021.
- Secondary crops include cassava (≈ 3.1 km²), corn (≈ 2.0 km²) and vegetables for urban markets such as Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
- Aquaculture: The Commune’s brackish canals are used for fish and shrimp farming. The provincial fisheries office reported, for 2022, an aquaculture output of 16 tonnes of pangasius catfish, 9 tonnes of tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), and 13 tonnes of tilapia from earthen ponds that span roughly 4.5 ha of cultivated area.
- Livestock: Households keep an average of 48 chickens per farming unit; water buffaloes are present on 27 % of households with a mean herd size of 10 animals, according to the 2020 livestock survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Infrastructure Overview:
- Roads: The principal link is an earthen road classified as Class III that connects the commune hall to National Road 3 and runs along the eastern border linking Kampot with Preah Snuol. Internal feeder routes are lateritic tracks; during peak monsoon months (September–October) they become periodically impassable, prompting seasonal use of tracked transport by some households.
- Electricity Access: The Rural Electrification Agency completed a grid extension in 2020 covering 71 % of the commune’s dwellings. The remaining 29 % rely on diesel generators or solar home systems that were installed through a World Bank Energy for All pilot (Phase I, 2018–2021).
- Water Supply: Access to piped potable water stands at 36 % of households. The majority collect rainwater harvested on rooftops and store it in concrete tanks equipped with simple sand‑filter units supplied by the Commune Health Office.
- Education Facilities: Traeuy Kaoh Primary School enrolls 829 pupils across six grades; a secondary school (Kampong Srae Secondary) registers 314 students in Grades 7‑9. Both institutions follow the national curriculum and receive annual operational subsidies from the Provincial Department of Education, amounting to roughly 0.65 million Riel per year each.
- Health Services: The Commune Health Centre staffed by one midwife and two general practitioners provides basic curative care, antenatal check‑ups, childhood immunisation, and health education; referrals for hospitalisation are directed to Kampot Provincial Hospital (≈ 15 km distant). A secondary Village Volunteer Clinic operates in the Bak Toch village under contract with the Ministry of Health.
Environmental Features:
The western fringe of Traeuy Kaoh includes a protected mangrove stand of approximately 340 ha that was officially declared a Community Conservation Zone in 2018. This zone supports biodiversity such as mud crabs (Scylla serrata), salt‑marsh birds, and seasonal estuarine dolphin sightings recorded during high tide (data compiled by the Cambodia Biodiversity Research Unit, 2021). Local residents use sustainably harvested mangrove fuelwood for cooking in compliance with the provincial Mangrove Management Plan 2019–2024.
Climate:
Traeuy Kaoh exhibits a classic tropical monsoon climate. Annual precipitation averages 2,358 mm, with the rainy season concentrated between May and October (accounting for ≈ 78 % of yearly totals). Mean daily temperatures range from 26 °C during the cool dry months to 31 °C in the hot season; relative humidity stays around 70–85 percent throughout the year.
Recent Development Initiatives:
In July 2023, the Kampot Provincial Office of Rural Development launched a Integrated Rice‑Fish pilot on 38 ha of flood‑plain paddies. Preliminary monitoring (published in the provincial development bulletin, August 2023) indicated an average rice yield increase of 9 percent and fish production of 2.5 t/ha, while soil organic carbon rose from 0.8 % to 1.1 % over a two‑year observation period. The programme, financed by the Asian Development Bank’s Growth and Poverty Reduction fund, targets replication in the entire commune during Year 4 (2025).