Farmers draw water from a reservoir to increase rice production in Banteay Meanchey province. Banteay Meanchey water resource department
More than 1,500 water reservoirs and earth water tanks make up the Kingdom’s irrigation system. As part of efforts to prevent land grabs and to help preserve water sources – especially for use during the dry season – each of them is being registered for land titles.
As of now, 197 – or 13 per cent – of the 1,562 water storage systems have been registered by the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology.
273 additional systems – or 17 per cent – are in the process of being registered, while the process has yet to begin for the remaining 1,092, explained water resources minister Thor Chetra, during a December 26 meeting, held to review the process.
The meeting took place at the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, under the chairmanship of land management minister Say Sam Al.
The minister explained that the reservoirs could be found in 23 of the Kingdom’s provinces, with only Pailin and Phnom Penh having no water storage or reservoir systems in place.
“The General Directorate of Technical Affairs of the water resources ministry is actively implementing plans to accelerate the registration process,” he added.
Ministry spokesperson Chan Yutha was unavailable for comment on December 27.
Bun Pov, head of the Administrative Office at the Banteay Meanchey provincial water resources department, said that two out of the province’s 47 reservoirs have already received land titles. He noted that the remaining reservoirs have already been measured and that land titles are in the process of being issued.
“When they are measured, the ministry will apply for titles for the reservoir. Once the land title is secured, no one can encroach on it, and this contributes to the protection of water sources for the people,” he explained.
Regarding measures to prevent water shortages, especially in the dry season, the water resource departments, along with provincial administrations, have recommended that farmers limit their dry season rice farming to the totals recommended by authorities.
The Banteay Meanchey department reported that 51 water systems and two rivers provide water for rice cultivation, irrigation and daily use for the province’s nine districts and one town.
It also warned that climate change has led to a reduction in rainfall. From the beginning of 2024 until November 22, 964.2 mm of rain fell, 198.1 mm less than the same period in 2023.
“Therefore, the department has called for limits to the cultivation of dry season rice to just one harvest, in a total of 16,000 hectares surrounding the 11 targeted irrigation systems,” it announced.
Provincial authorities urged citizens to follow the water use plans and cooperate in conserving water use in the dry season to avoid shortages.
However, Pov stated that farmers had not followed these recommendations and have planted rice in up to 90,000 hectares, which will likely result in water shortages.
The Pursat Administration has also announced the suspension of a second round of dry season planting.
The provincial administration clarified that the water supply plan for rice irrigation in the 2024-2025 dry season only covers 20,000 hectares. However, based on field inspections and evaluations by the provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, farmers have increased rice production to 58,770 hectares, exceeding the planned water use.
The administration has instructed all farmers to temporarily suspend the second dry season rice production after the January 2025 harvest.
In addition, citizens living in areas without water sources have been advised to prepare water storage in ponds or reservoirs for daily use and for livestock.
“If farmers continue to increase their rice production in the second dry season, they will face serious water shortages,” it warned.
