The ‘Clean Family’ campaign was launched at Kampong Phluk commune in Siem Reap province’s Prasat Bakong district on May 6. CLEAN FAMILY CAMPAIGN
Kampong Phluk commune authorities, an environmental tourism working group and an NGO have combined forces to launch the “Clean Family” campaign in Kampong Phluk community in Siem Reap province.
Sea Sophal, director of the NGO2 BambooShoot Foundation, told The Post on May 7 that they have organised the campaign in the form of a competition to find the cleanest, most hygienic and most environmentally friendly family in the community.
Sophal said families can win big prizes, ahead of the annual environmental festival that provides a big push to collect plastic waste from the lake ahead of the traditional Tonle Sap Lake floods. This year’s festival is scheduled for June 17-18.
“In June, the water levels will start rising again, so some people may be tempted to throw their garbage into the water. We will distribute bags to people’s homes, so they can separate their own rubbish. Before we get to the big June event, however, we will begin the clean family campaign, in which each participating family will be judged on seven points, starting from now,” he explained.
He said the programme falls under the framework of the safe village-commune policy. Before the big finale in June, weekly prizes will be awarded. Winners will receive certificates, sacks of rice and other prizes.
“We are doing it to celebrate the World Environment Day and International Sea Festival in the form of ‘Cambodia’s Inland Ocean’: Tonle Sap. We have officially announced that 1,000 households will be competing for the chance to win huge prizes in this competition,” he added.
Neth Pheaktra, Ministry of Environment spokesman, said the ministry supported the competition, just as it had supported the NGOs earlier plastic-for-rice exchange project, which was very successful at creating public understanding about the importance of not littering in the lake.
“The competition for clean families in the Kampong Phluk community is important work, because the community is an important tourism destination. Many people visit there. The ministry encourages NGOs and other partner organisations to continue to work to clean up the environment and make it more beautiful,” he said.
“This community is particularly attractive to tourists, who visit floating villages, take boat tours, see the flooded forests and enjoy the beauty of sunset on the vast Tonle Sap Lake,” he added.
Kampong Phluk community has about 1,000 households living in the villages of Cham Noy, Tnot Kambot, Kork Kdol and Dey Krahorm, in Prasat Bakong district’s Kampong Phluk commune. Most of people in the communities live in floating houses and earn their living as fishermen.
