Ochheuteal Beach in P’Sihanouk getting makeover
THE Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration is replenishing Ochheuteal Beach in Commune IV with fresh sand in order to fill in channels that have been worn into the beach by flowing water leaving a layer of blackened sand exposed.
Officials are uncertain as to how many trucks filled with sand will be used in the effort to beautify the beach.
Provincial hall spokesman Kheang Phearom said the addition of the sand to the beach was to improve its appearance as well as fill in potholes and eliminate places where stagnant water was pooling.
He also said some of the worst looking areas of blackened sand will be bulldozed entirely.
“We’re transporting the sand from nearby sources and putting it in places that have been eroded by waves and have potholes, so we’re filling them to beautify a large stretch of the beach,” he said.
Phearom did not say how much sand would be used to complete the job, citing the Covid-19 situation as the unknown factor in terms of planning things for the province now.
“There has been no report as yet because currently our province is busy managing the Covid-19 situation,” he said.
Provincial Department of Tourism director Taing Sochet Kresna said on March 1 that the project to fill in the potholes on the beach was a maintenance effort to ensure that nothing would spoil the beauty of the beach.
He noted that the sand would be used to build a road accessible by tourists.
“The sand is also being transported over to Ochheuteal Beach for the purpose of building a road next to the sea to link up to a remote area there called Poy 39,” he said.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport announced on January 25 that Preah Sihanouk province planned to build a new road linking Sokha Beach to Ochheuteal Beach next to Poy Thmor and Poy Tamuy beaches.
The road will have a length of 1,034m and a width of 10.24m. The project is being managed by the National Committee for Coastal Management and Development.
Kresna added that the building of the new road will be a historical accomplishment for the province. Besides improving the beauty of the coastal town, it will ease traffic on other roads that are currently congested due to national and international tourists. He said people will no longer have to take a detour through Sokha Beach to get to Ochheuteal Beach and instead will also be able to travel between the two beaches along a scenic ocean-side road.
FACTORY activity in China grew at the slowest pace in nine months last month, as business operations slowed over the country’s Lunar New Year holiday, according to official data released on February 28.
The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a key gauge of manufacturing activity, fell to 50.6 last month from 51.3, said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), with slowdowns seen in production, new orders and foreign trade.
Although this was the lowest reading overall since last May, when manufacturing PMI also came in at 50.6, the figure remains above the 50point mark separating growth from contraction.
NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said: “Lunar New Year fell in mid-February this year, and the holiday factor showed a greater impact on the production and operations of enterprises this month.”
Zhao added that both the new export order index and import order index were in contraction, affected by slower production and purchasing activities during the festive period.
But market expectations remained bullish and the purchase price index of key raw materials remained relatively high.
Official figures also showed that even as smaller firms were more affected by seasonal factors, expectations for sectors such as specialised equipment, automobiles and some electronics remain in a higher range – with some surveyed firms indicating March will be
a “peak season” for them.
Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing PMI was 51.4 this month, down from 52.4 the month before, said the NBS.
It noted weakening in the service industry and construction activity, also impacted by the nationwide holiday.