Japanese Ambassador Masahiro Mikami shakes hands with Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn. Hong Menea
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn and Japanese Ambassador Masahiro Mikami on Wednesday signed a grant agreement for ¥2.4 billion ($22 million) on the “Project for Expansion of Clean Water Supply System in Pursat Province”.
The agreement, finalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will allow Japan to build clean water treatment facilities and design water distribution systems in the provincial capital, Pursat town, said Mikami.
He said the collaborative ties between Japan and Cambodia had expanded into many sectors, which in turn had contributed to the Kingdom’s economic development. Collaboration in the clean water supply sector would have long-term benefits and be considered a noteworthy achievement.
Mikami said the supply and quality of clean water in other provinces is considerably low but that the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft had set the goal of supplying clean water across the country by 2025.
“Through the project, I expect that the supply of clean water in Pursat town will increase, along with an increase in development in other towns,” he said.
Although Cambodia has developed exponentially, Mikami said much work still had to be done to raise people’s quality of life, such as having a clean water supply, proper sewage system, sustainable waste management and congestion-free roads.
Japan, he said, hoped to help solve these problems through other collaborative economic projects.
In response, Sokhonn said: “The project signed [on Wednesday] is for the building of clean water treatment facilities that can supply a capacity of 6,600 cubic metres a day with a supply network of 84.5km [in pipe length]. The network will be connected to the homes of 257 families in the Pursat province.”
He noted that, as planned, construction will take two years from November next year until September 2022.
On behalf of the Cambodian government and people, Sokhonn expressed his gratitude to the Japanese government and its people for contributing to the National Strategy for Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene 2014-2020.
