sewage and water system at Angkor concerned

Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen on April 22 inaugurated the new Siem Reap provincial wastewater sewerage management system to improve the situation at the scene and develop infrastructure of the province as tourism hub, the project under support from the Asia Development Bank.

“We have to renovate the area to be suitable as the top destination of the foreign tourists in the country, and the new facility will contribute to development of infrastructure of the province,” Samdech Hun Sen told the ceremony at the Siem Reap Provincial town.

He said that the new wastewater sewerage management system will help sustainable development in this area which used water from underground and avoid the flooding from the stream flowing crossing the provincial town. He always voiced the concern about using groundwater too much from the hotels, and other handicrafts could damage the temples in the area especially Angkor Wat temple.

Siem Reap provincial town usually was flooded in the past years, and had waste flowing into stream there. And from this it could damage the beauty of the province.

The statement from ADB said that the new wastewater and sewerage treatment facility in Siem Reap should help end bouts of serious flooding in the city which serves as a base for thousands of tourists visiting the nearby, world-renowned, Angkor Wat temple complex.

Siem Reap city, with a population of about 41,000 has been subjected to frequent floods in the central commercial and tourist accommodation areas, with an old and defective drainage and sewerage system unable to cope. Key streets have been inundated with storm and wastewater, raw sewage, septic tank effluent and even solid waste, causing public health and safety threats, as well as access problems. The aesthetic quality of urban areas frequented by tourists has also been affected.

"It is very important that infrastructure improvements be made in the Mekong countries to attract more tourists," said Putu Kamayana, Country Director in ADB's Cambodia Resident Mission office quoted as saying in the statement.

It continued that the new facility, with funding support of $10.93 million from a concessional ADB loan, includes an urban sewerage and drainage system on the west side of Siem Reap, and a wastewater treatment plant with stabilizing lagoons to treat household and business wastes. The government contributed about over 3 million US dollars.

The project includes the construction and installation of thousand of meters of sewer lines as well as the rehabilitation of more than 2,100 meters of drainage pipes. A pumping station with capacity of 14,000 cubic meters per day has been constructed and 193 new service connections have been established. Defective manholes in the city's center have been replaced and irrigation canals upgraded.
The facility is a component of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Development Project, which aims to reduce poverty, boost economic growth, increase employment, and promote natural and cultural heritage conservation in participating GMS countries.

Tourism is a high priority sector of the GMS Program launched in 1992 by Cambodia,
People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam with assistance from ADB.

Mr. Kamayana noted that the GMS is the fastest growing tourism destination in the world, generating valuable foreign exchange, creating jobs, and contributing to economic growth. At the same time growth in the sector is constrained by access problems, and a lack of investment in tourism infrastructure. "Investments in access roads, airports, river piers, sewerage services, and solid waste management are just some of the infrastructure needs," he said.

In Siem Reap, the wastewater management system and some equipment at the pumping station have been working since January, resulting in drainage improvements.


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