Toilet constructed by NGO Plan International Cambodia in rural area last June. PLAN INTERNATIONAL CAMBODIA
Prime Minister Hun Sen called on all stakeholders to increase rural sanitation coverage by five per cent more each year in order to achieve the goal of all people having access to clean water and sanitation services by 2025.
Hun Sen made the remarks in observance of the 12th National Rural Sanitation Day on November 13.
He said that in 2007, only 16 per cent of Cambodians had access to latrines, but by 2019 the results of the Cambodian census show that rural sanitation coverage rate had risen to 78 per cent due to the efforts of the government and the cooperation of all stakeholders in the sanitation sector.
“[Stakeholders] should make the rural sanitation situation in Cambodia improve by 5 per cent more every year so that we can achieve the vision that all people will have access to a clean water supply that is hygienic, equitable and sustainable by 2025,” he said.
“I call on and encourage all stakeholders to continue to work together to promote a stronger and more effective rural sanitation movement,” he said.
He urged the national and provincial rural water supply and sanitation technical working groups to continue to pay attention to good coordination and cooperation with development partners, NGOs and all stakeholders to find measures and resources to promote rural sanitation more effectively.
Hun Sen instructed the Ministry of Rural Development and other relevant ministries and institutions to increase their support and continue to promote sanitation in accordance with their competencies by mobilizing resources and cooperating with development partners, NGOs and the private sector to achieve the target of 90 per cent sanitation coverage found in the National Action Plan 2023, phase II.
The prime minister urged provinces and towns with high sanitation coverage already to become provinces with 100 per cent sanitation coverage.
“Provinces with low levels of sanitation growth must make every effort to support and overcome barriers to improving through the exchange of experiences regularly with the leading provinces which have a good track record and high standards of hygiene,” he said.
Hun Sen urged relevant authorities to raise the levels of hand washing and soap use higher within their communities, schools and public institutions. He said that the authorities have to also increase the attention given to raising awareness and practicing good hygiene during menstruation for women and girls to ensure good health.
“Along with the growing number of latrines in both rural and urban areas, all relevant departments must pay attention to the provision of services and guidelines for the proper management of toilet waste in a technical manner to avoid sewage leaking into the environment, which has a serious impact on people’s health,” he said.
