Footage shows desperate locals collecting rainwater in empty bottles and buckets to save for drinking amid a chronic shortage of clean water in Cambodia.

The summer downpour battered a market in the capital Phnom Penh on June 6, sparking a frenzy as market stall holders scrambled to collect the liquid.

They were saving it to use for drinking, washing clothes and showering, due to the poor quality of tap water in the country, which is blighted by some of the worst hygiene and sanitation levels in the world.

Rainwater is considered cleaner, safer and much cheaper than buying bottled or filtered water from shops.

According to a study from WashData, nearly 3.4 million people in Cambodia - around 21 per cent of the population - do not have basic access to safe drinking water. Cambodia's population is around 16 million.

Shockingly, 11 per cent of the population is said to be still relying on surface water like ponds, springs, and rivers. The situation in rural areas but even in the capital city Phnom Penh, rainwater is still widely used for drinking and other everyday tasks such as washing laundry, washing the pots, showering, washing hair or bathing.

The footage highlights how the country has struggled to progress economically following the genocidal rule of the left-wing Khmer Rouge party between 1975 and 1979.

Under the leadership of Pol Pot, who studied in France, the brutal Communist regime executed up to three million people and abolished money.