The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation is drafting a new law on water supply management in Cambodia. The draft has just passed an inter-ministerial working group and is being prepared for submission to the Cabinet.

Ministry secretary of state Heng Sokkung said such a law, which had never before been initiated, aims to guarantee that a clean water supply is provided efficiently.

Speaking at a press conference on the ministry’s achievements over the last five years, held at the Council of Ministers on August 11, Sokkung said the ministry had managed the Kingdom’s water supply effectively despite the lack thereof.

“The draft law has now passed the stage of an inter-ministerial meeting, where it received excellent recommendations from [relevant national institutions] including the ministries of Economy and Finance; Water Resources and Meteorology; Rural Development; and Justice. They helped push for more articles related to penalties,” he said.

According to an industry ministry report, in the five years from 2017 to 2021, water production by public and private firms nationwide increased by 45 per cent to 1.63 billion cubic metres. There are many projects underway to expand distribution systems and strengthen this growth.

In particular, it said, the supply of clean water in urban areas has increased significantly. The coverage rate of network water supply in urban areas increased 65.79 per cent by 2021, with the number of households receiving clean water reaching 1,961,333.