The Phnom Penh municipal Department of Public Works and Transport will put into use the capital’s flood control and drainage system from July 16 onwards.

The Flood Control and Drainage Improvement Phase IV project costs $36 million in grants from the Japanese government and construction is 98 per cent complete, the department said on July 13.

Construction commenced on December 1, 2018, and completion is scheduled for October 30 this year.

The project includes 12.6km of the main drainage system, construction in Daun Penh and Tuol Kork districts, and automatic mechanical bar installation to collect rubbish at the Chaktomuk Water Pumping Stations Preah Konlong I and II in Daun Penh district’s Phsar Chas commune.

The project also covers underground mud filters along the riverside in front of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), which is located across from Wat Phnom in Daun Penh district. The underground system is 142.5m long, 14m wide and 4m deep and can store 6,500 cubic metres of water, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Before the project is put into use, Japanese ambassador to Cambodia Mikami Masahiro and public works department director Sam Piseth inspected the site on July 13.

Technical specialists from the department and JICA expressed delight after the inspection and evaluation for safety and quality, and that the project has proceeded faster than planned.

“After construction is 100 per cent complete, this system will assist in addressing flooding problems in the surrounding areas and north of Wat Phnom including streets 47, 90 and 92,” said the department in a Facebook post.