Ex-Ante Project Evaluation
Southeast Asia Division 2Southeast Asia and Pacific Department, JICA

1. Name of the ProjectCountry: Kingdom of Cambodia
Name of Project: West Tonle Sap Irrigation and Drainage Rehabilitation andImprovement Project (II)L/A signing date: February 26, 2019
2. Background and Necessity of the Project(1) Current State and Issues Concerning the Irrigation Sector in Cambodia
In the Kingdom of Cambodia (hereinafter referred to as “Cambodia”), 27%of the working population is engaged in farming. Agriculture accounts for 23% ofGDP and it is the major means of making a living in rural farming communities,
which are home to most of the country’s impoverished population. Rice as astaple food is the country’s largest agricultural crop. Cambodia has alreadyachieved self-sufficiency in rice, but it now needs to export it to spur its
economic growth. According to references issued by the Ministry of Water
Resources and Meteorology in 2018, Cambodia’s irrigated area remains at 1.32
million ha (about 40% of its total cultivated acreage), and has yet to reach thetargeted area of 1.63 million ha (about 50% of total cultivated acreage) that wasset as a 2018 goal.
With heavy annual rainfall, the area surrounding Tonle Sap Lake has highpotential as a water resource. However, many of the irrigation facilities thatcurrently exist in Cambodia were constructed by forced labor during the civil war
period (1975–79), and consequently, a high percentage of them do not function
adequately due to problems with design, construction, or old age. This makes
farmers in the region depend on rainwater, which in turn results in low
productivity. Therefore, constructing and rehabilitating irrigation facilities are apressing issue.
Under the Rectangular Strategy-Phase III (2013–2018), the Royal
Government of Cambodia defined improving agricultural productivity, facilitating
diversity, and modernizing farming through marketing as key challenges to help
alleviate poverty and support the economic growth of the country throughquality irrigation. In its National Strategic Development Plan (2014–2018),
Policy Paper on the Promotion of Paddy Production and Rice Export (2010),
and similar documents, the Cambodian government established higher
agricultural production as a key goal through upgrading and constructing
irrigation facilities and increasing the size of its total irrigation area.
Given these conditions, JICA formulated master plans for 21 regions as partof a development study titled Basin-wide Basic Irrigation and Drainage Master
Plan Study (January 2007 to March 2009), which was implemented based on arequest from the Royal Government of Cambodia to promote the efficient use of

water resources in four river basins with high development priority. An ODA
loan titled West Tonle Sap Irrigation and Drainage Rehabilitation andImprovement Project (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”, L/A of the Project(I) was signed in August 2011) aims to develop irrigation facilities covering six
areas selected as priority projects under the study.
In addition to the unexpected depreciation of the yen caused by drastic
exchange fluctuations after project launch and the fact that the area had fragile
soil spread over a wider area than expected, additional funding is needed tocover design changes on some water canals. Specifically, there is a water canalrequiring a concrete lining (65.8 km total length) to increase capacity and copewith natural conditions of the Project site (e.g. rainfall, floods, and inundation
than usual). To cover these additional costs, the Royal Government ofCambodia readied its own funds to cover land acquisition fees and costs toclear unexploded ordnances. However, the government found it difficult to comeup with the full amount to cover project costs in addition to the above. They
therefore requested an additional loan from the Japanese government in April
2018. To ensure smooth implementation and realize its expected development
impact, additional funding is necessary in a form of the Project (II).
(2) Japan and JICA’s Aid Policy and Achievements in the Irrigation Sector
According to the Japanese Development Cooperation Policy for theKingdom of Cambodia (July 2017), Japan provides assistance while placing
importance on promoting agriculture, the major industry of its rural areas, under
the priority goal of “Industrial development”. The project is defined as an
agricultural promotion program that aims to manage water resources in the river
basin; support irrigation facility development; strengthen operation,maintenance, and management systems for irrigation facilities and humandevelopment; and reinforce the operation of Farmer Water Users’ Communities(FWUC) to ensure appropriate water management by farmers under thedevelopment theme of “promoting agriculture and improving rural livelihoods”
for the priority goal. The JICA Country Analysis Paper for the Kingdom ofCambodia (March 2014) mentions the significance of “assistance in developing
irrigation facilities, building capacity in irrigation techniques, and improving ricecultivation techniques to improve productivity and quality of rice, a majorproduct”. Therefore, the Project is aligned with Japan and JICA’s country
assistance policies and analyses. The Project site covers an area with a poverty
rate higher than the national average (13.5% in 2014) (average poverty rate in
the target three provinces: 20.8% in 2017), and aims to increase agricultural
production through constructing and rehabilitating irrigation and drainage
facilities. Therefore, it is considered to be contributory to Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 1 (No poverty) and Goal 2 (Zero hunger).
(3) Other Donor’s Activity
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) used to be the top donor in supportingthe country’s water resource management and irrigation development. Recently,
however, an increasing number of ODAs are provided by China, South Korea,and Middle Eastern countries. In addition to the ODAs, an increasing number ofdam development and irrigation/drainage facility development projects arebeing provided to Cambodia. In the water resource management sector, theADB provided upper stream policies (formulation of legal and regulatory
systems related to river basin management, establishment of a national/river
basin water resource management committee, and formulation of river basinwater resource management plans). Currently, the ADB has an ongoing aid
program for developing irrigation facilities. The Agence Française deDeveloppement (AFD), Agence de l'eau (France), and JICA support Cambodia
in establishing the river basin water resource management committee andirrigation facility development in areas that do not overlap, while using theexpert knowledge of the ADB.
3. Project Description(1) Project Objectives
The objective of the Project is to increase rice production at 6 sub-project
areas in West Tonle Sap region by constructing and rehabilitating irrigation
systems, establishing and strengthening FWUC and Farmer Water User Groups(FWUG) and improving the farm management capacity of farmers, thereby
contributing to enhancement of agricultural income and living standard offarmers in the project area
(2) Project Site/Target Area
Battambang Province (Ream Kon and Por Canal sub-projects), Pursat
Province (Damnak Ampil, Wat Loung, and Wat Chre sub-projects), andKompong Chhnang Province (Lum Hach sub-project)(3) Project Components
1) Constructing and rehabilitating irrigation and drainage facilities(headworks at four locations, and a 620-km irrigation canals and drains)2) Supporting the establishment and reinforcement of the FWUC andFWUG, agricultural extension services, and agricultural land holdingsurvey3) Consulting service (detailed design, bidding assistance, constructionsupervision)4) Equipment (trucks and motorcycles)(4) Estimated Project Cost
9,549,000,000 yen (3,599,000,000 yen of which is covered by yen loans
for Project (II)(5) Schedule
Planned for the period between August 2011 and December 2021 (125months). The Project will be considered completed when facilities begin
service (December 2020)(6) Project Implementation Structure1) Borrower: The Royal Government of Cambodia
2) Executing Agency: Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology(MOWRAM)
3) System for operations, administration, maintenance, and management:
The MOWRAM and its provincial office will maintain headworks as wellas the main and secondary canals; while the FWUC will operate andmaintain branch canals. Under the FWUC, FWUG and farmer wateruser sub-groups (FWUSG) will be established to take responsibility forthe actual maintenance and management of the water canals.
(7) Collaboration and Division of Work with Other Projects and Donors
1) Japan’s Assistance Activities
So far, Japan has provided the Improvement Agricultural River BasinManagement & Development Project (September 2009–September 2014)
and the Agricultural Productivity Promotion Project in West Tonle Sap(October 2010–March 2015) to the country. The Project will provide
assistance for the establishment and operation of the FWUC of the Project,
as well as agricultural extension services, by effectively using humanresources developed and instruction manuals created through in thecourse of the technical cooperation program. Information-sharing andcollaboration will also be carried out under the River Basin Water
Resources Utilization Project in Cambodia (May 2014–May 2019,Technical Cooperation) and Policy Advisor on Irrigation and Drainage (July2017–July 2019) projects. In addition to the above, JICA has an ongoingproject titled Southwest Phnom Penh Irrigation and Drainage Rehabilitation
and Improvement (ODA loan, approved in July 2014, 5.606 billion yen)targeting the three provinces that serve as the country’s major granarycenters.
2) Responses of Other Aid Organizations
Currently, China is helping with the construction of main canals, intake
structures, and with the secondary and branch canals for the lower stream
at one of the project sites (Damnak Ampil sub-project, Pursat Province),
while JICA is constructing headworks as well as secondary and branchcanals for the upper stream. Both parties are holding discussions todetermine the appropriate positions to connect the main and secondary
canals.
(8) Environmental and Social Consideration, Poverty Reduction, Social
Development
1) Environmental and Social Considerationsi.
Category Classification: Bii.
Rationale for Category Classification: It is deemed that the Project
does not apply to any of the large-scale projects in the agricultural
sector that are listed in the Japan Bank for International
Cooperation Guidelines for Confirmation of Environmental andSocial Considerations (established in April 2002) and that its
adverse impacts on the environment will not be significant.
Moreover, it is deemed that the Project is not relevant to thesensitive characteristics and areas that are mentioned in theseguidelines. Thus, the Project is classified as Category B.
iii.
Environmental Permits: Under the laws of Cambodia, there is norequirement to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
report for the Project. (The size of the targeted sub-project falls
below the size that requires an EIA [5,000 hectares].)iv.
Measures for Pollution Control: No particular impacts areanticipated in terms of water pollution or soil contamination causedby fertilizers and agrochemicals following the start of the Project,

as fertilizers and agrochemicals will be used and disposed ofappropriately through awareness-raising activities that include
guidance for farmers.
v.
Natural Environment: The Project site is not located in a sensitive
area, such as a national park, or in the surroundings of a sensitive
area, and thus it is anticipated that its adverse impact on thenatural environment will be minimal. The impact on aquaticorganisms is expected to be mitigated by building fishways in theheadworks.
vi.
Social Environment: Under the Project plan, approximately six
households were expected to be relocated and approximately 208
ha of land was going to be acquired. Due to the added project site,
however, the land acquired increased to 479ha. The InterMinisterial Resettlement Committee (IRC) had almost finished landacquisition by January 2018, based on the revised Resettlement
Action Plan (RAP, prepared and confirmed: RAP1 (April 2015);
RAP2 (June 2015); RAP3.1 (December 2015) RAP3.2 (January2017)). Based on the revised RAP, it is confirmed that the Projectinvolved no resettlement.
vii.
Other Matters and Monitoring: For the Project, the MOWRAM will
monitor water quality and soil quality, and submit monitoring
reports to JICA once a quarter during construction, and every six
months for two years. The environmental monitoring reportsubmitted in July 2017 revealed that noise produced byconstruction at some sub-project sites exceeded the environmental
criteria of Cambodia. Construction that would have produced loudnoise had already been completed by that time. However,MOWRAM will continue monitoring noise and take the necessary
mitigation measures. The IRC will take part in monitoring landacquisition and complaint handling mechanisms, and report theresults to JICA and MOWRAM. Based on the results, MOWRAM
will submit social monitoring results to JICA every quarter until twoyears after completion of the construction.
2) Cross-Cutting Issues:
The Project will help to avoid or reduce climate risks through irrigation
facility development and considerations to mitigate disaster damage, thus it
is considered to be contributory to climate change measures (adaptationmeasures). The Project also supports the establishment and organizational
enhancement of FWUC/FWUG/FWUSG, which takes charge of branch
canals through soft components to facilitate voluntary participation of thebeneficiaries. This promotes participatory water management by increasing
the sense of ownership in facility operation and management.
3) Gender Categorization: Gender Informed (Significant)<Activity Content and Reason for Classification>
The Project agreed with MOWRAM to encourage women to participate inmeetings of FWUG and training sessions. Therefore, the Project shall be
categorized as Gender Informed (Significant)(9)Other Important Issues: N/A

4. Targeted Outcomes(1) Quantitative Effects1) Operation And Effect Indicators
Baseline
Target value (2023)
Indicator(2009 actual value) (3 years after Projectcompleted)
Irrigated area (hectares)

Rice planting area (hectares)

760

13,39014,26017,780FWUG: 29
FWUSG: 77

Number of farmer water users’
groups(FWUG)/subgroup
2(FWUSG) established*

Fee collection rate for irrigation
services (%)
Rice production (tons/year)
Rice yield (tons/hectares)

is3-60*22,00065,7001.5

3.7Notes*
1: For typical ODA projects, target values are set two years after project completion. However, sinceirrigation projects require longer than other ODA projects to produce benefits such asincreased rice production, the Project shall set a target value later than three years after
project completion.
2: The FWUSG is established under the FWUG to take part in maintenance and management of branch
canals. Therefore, the number of FWUSGs established was added to the indicators.
3: The fee collection rate for irrigation services was set at 60%, which is slightly higher than the normal
fee collection rate of 50% in Cambodia.

(2) Qualitative Effects: Stabilized supply of irrigation water, improved farmer
livelihood in the project taken place(3) Internal Rate Of Return:
Based on the assumptions below, the economic internal rate of return(EIRR) for the Project (including loans for Phase I) is calculated at 11.5%(Previously, the figure was 14.7%). The Project will collect irrigation service
fees to cover operation and maintenance costs for the branch canals.
However, maintenance and management costs for the main and secondary
canals were borne by the executing agency, meaning that the project will notoperate based on the fees collected from users. Therefore, the Economic
Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of this project was not calculated.
[EIRR]
Cost: Project cost (excluding tax), operation and maintenance cost
Benefit: Increased agricultural production due to irrigation
Project Life: 30 years

5. External Conditions and Risk Control(1) Prerequisites: None in particular(2) External Conditions and Risk Control: None in particular
6. Lessons Learned from Past Projects
The ex-post evaluation results for India’s ODA loan project titled the Upper
Indravati Irrigation Project (2003) and other projects demonstrate that activeparticipation of farmers as beneficiaries is essential for irrigation projects.
Specifically, with operation and maintenance activities for canals other thanmain canals, assistance should include: the clarification of roles between
stakeholders, active involvement of water users’ groups at an early stage,organizational reinforcement of water users’ groups, and continued support tofacilitate farmer participation.
In terms of Project implementation, the MOWRAM staff who are trained by
the completed technical cooperation project titled the Improvement
Agricultural River Basin Management and Development Project support theestablishment of water users’ groups through the Project’s soft component
using their experiences and expertise. The Project will make an effort to bringmaximum benefits using knowledge and expertise obtained through theongoing River Basin Water Resources Utilization Project and irrigation
advisers dispatched from Japan, through ensuring active participation offarmers in water users’ groups from an early stage.
7. Evaluation Results
This project is in line with the development issues and development policiesof the Royal Government of Cambodia and JICA’s assistance policies andanalysis results, and contributes to the improvement of the agricultural
productivity and livelihoods of farmers through constructing and rehabilitating
irrigation and drainage facilities around the Tonle Sap Lake. Furthermore, theProject is seen as contributing to SDG Goal 1 (No poverty) and Goal 2 (Zerohunger), making JICA’s support of the Project necessary and relevant.
8. Plan for Future Evaluation(1) Indicators to be Used In Future Evaluation
4. Same as in 4. (1) to (3).
(2) Timing of Future Evaluation: Three years after Project completion