A 30ha water treatment station at Prek Tnaot river in Boeung Thom commune’s Boeung Thom III village of Phnom Penh’s Kambol district would be capable of providing clean water to 5,000 households as early as next year, providing funding is secured on time.
Long Naro, director-general of the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA), said the project would produce 5,000 cubic metres a day, and that currently a household of five or six members typically uses around one cubic litre of water.
“People in rural areas use less than those in Phnom Penh, so I think my estimates are correct,” he said.
He added that the facility may begin operations as early as next year. Initially, it would serve the people of three of the district’s communes, providing them with clean water and improving their standard of living. Eventually, the station would also supply water to people in the west and south of Phnom Penh – in Kandal province’s Kandal Stung district – and also to the new Techo Takhmao International Airport.
“We have requested that the Japanese government unlock funding to begin as soon as possible. If we secure the funds in time, we will be producing clean water here in 2023 or early 2024,” he said.
Naro was unclear as to how much funding was required.
“We have not yet received a diplomatic note from the Japanese embassy about the funds to build this station. According to our plan, we need to secure them this year. We have not yet received them,” he added.
Naro said Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng had inspected the site on July 13, and the PPWSA was preparing documents to formally request the municipal administration to allocate the site to it.
