Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology secretary of state Chan Sinath on May 19 led a delegation to inspect a number of large-scale irrigation projects in Kampong Speu and Kampong Chhnang provinces.

The delegation comprised representatives of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Green Climate Fund (GCF) and UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN-FAO).

All of these undertakings are sub-projects of the Climate Adaptive Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture for Resilience (CAISAR) project, co-financed by the IFAD, GCF and UN-FAO.

In particular, the state-of-the-art Krang Ponley Irrigation Project has the capacity to ensure water security for all sectors in the provinces of Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Speu and Kandal, while also meeting the needs of Phnom Penh, according to the ministry.

The underlying system also contributes significantly to storm relief, notably by preventing flooding of National Road 5.

The system swiftly releases water from Tonle Sap Lake, creating constantly green environments in the Vihear Luong, Kampong Luong, and Longvek areas, as well as promoting ecotourism trips that help local communities make extra money.