Siem Reap province has identified Angkor Chum district as the first area to end open defecation by the end of this month. There are currently only 70 households in the district still practicing open defecation.

The provincial Department of Information, citing deputy provincial governor Ngan Phirun, said on November 27 that improving sanitation in rural areas is an indepensable part of improving people’s standard of living.

Phirun said during the 12th National Day for Rural Sanitation held in Angkor Chum district on November 26 that supplying clean water and promoting rural sanitation was an important task.

“It is the plan of the provincial administration to identify Angkor Chum district as the first district to end open defecation at the district level by the end of November, 2021,” said Phirun.

He added that currently, four of the seven communes in the district have stopped open defecation while the three remaining communes are in the process of ending it. However, the sanitation rate covers 99 per cent of the district and only 70 household still practice open defecation.

According to the information department, in 2020 Siem Reap supplied water to 75 per cent of the province and sanitation covered 79 per cent. In 2021, the province had 255 out of 909 villages and 15 out of 100 villages that had stopped open defecation.