KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
NATION-RELIGION-KING

6th WEPA Annual Meeting, 24 February 2011, Tokyo, Japan

Progress of Water Environmental
Management and Future Challenges
in Cambodia
By Dr. CHRIN Sokha
Deputy Director General
Ministry of Environment

Table of Contents
1. State of Water Quality
2. Organizations Related to Water Quality
Management
3. Water Quality Management Policy
4. Changes in Laws, Regulations, Standards
5. Goals of Water Quality ManagementPolicy
6. Future Challenges

1. State of Water Quality
 Cambodia approximately 5/6

PhnomPenhis land and 1/6 is coastal.
 86% of Cambodia’s land islocated in the catchment ofthe Lower Mekong basin.
 Mekong River – the world’s
12th longest river system. It
lengths across Cambodia for468 km.
 Tonle Sap Great Lake isexpanded from 2,500 km2 indry season to 13,000 km2 inthe wet season.

1. State of Water Quality (cont.) Three important

Phnom
Penh

transboundary tributariesof the Mekong River are:
 Sekong River – totaldrainage is 7,773 km2
 Se San River – totaldrainage is 514 km2
 Srepork River – totaldrainage is 12,762 km2

1. State of Water Quality (cont.)
Domestic
136 = 17%

Agriculture

455 = 56%

Livestock
100 = 13%

Industry
30 = 4%

Others79 = 10%

Water use in Cambodia (million m³ /Year)1. State of Water Quality (cont.)
DO (mg/l)
87

MK River Upstream (ChrouyChangvar)

6

MK River Downstream (KienSvay)

54

Bassac River (Ta Khmao)32

PP Port (Tonle SapRiver)

10Standard: 2.0 - 7.5
2004

2006

2008

2010

pH
8.2
8

MK River Upstream (ChrouyChangvar)

7.8

MK River Downstream (KienSvay)

7.6

Bassac River (Ta Khmao)

7.4

PP Port (Tonle SapRiver)

7.2

Standard: 6.5 - 8.572004

2006

2008

2010

1. State of Water Quality (cont.)
BOD (mg/l)
763

MK River Upstream (ChrouyChangvar)
MK River Downstream (KienSvay)
Bassac River (Ta Khmao)

2

PP Port (Tonle SapRiver)

5
41Standard: 1 - 10 (mg/l)

0
2004

2006

2008

2010

TSS (mg/l)
700
600

MK River Upstream (ChrouyChangvar)
MK River Downstream (KienSvay)
Bassac River (Ta Khmao)

500
400
300
200

PP Port (Tonle SapRiver)

1000Standard: 25 - 100
2004

2006

2008

2010

1. State of Water Quality (cont.)
Conductivity (µs.cm)
1000

MK River Upstream (ChrouyChangvar)
MK River Downstream (KienSvay)
Bassac River (Ta Khmao)

800
600400PP Port (Tonle SapRiver)20002004

2006

2008

2010

2. Organizations Related to Water
Quality Management
The Ministry of Environment (MoE), incomplying the Environmental Law andrelated Sub-Decrees, conducts:
 Monthly monitoring and analyzing water
quality at the MoE’s LAB (those water
samples are taken from Mekong River,Bassac River, Tonle Sap River, Tonle
Sap Great Lake, their tributaries, andmarine water), in order to identify theimplication of pollution and water
environment.

2. Organizations Related to Water
Quality Management (cont.)
 Settingupdoablemechanisms(including dissemination and education
to line agencies at local level) to
manage aquatic environment andrelated matters in closed cooperation
with concerned institutions.
 Monitoringand inspecting effluentsdischarging from point and non-point
sources of pollution, especially industrialpremises.

2. Organizations Related to Water
Quality Management (cont.) Licensing

to factories/enterprises
and the like where their treatedeffluents abided by the national
effluent standards for discharging
into receiving water.

2. Organizations Related to Water
Quality Management (cont.) The Law on Water Resources Management

authorizes the Ministry of Water Resourcesand Meteorology (MoWRM) to responsible
for managing and monitoring water quantityand quality at all kind watercourses inCambodia.
 Water samplings are being taken monthly
at primary and secondary stations inparallel with the Water Quality Monitoring
Network (the MRC supporting programme),and done at the MoWRM’s LAB.

2. Organizations Related to Water
Quality Management (cont.)
 Takeslead the technical working
group to monitor and control various
activities, which might be caused
seriouspressures
towaterenvironment and related resourcesalong and/or in the watercourses (interms of freshwater and marinewater), e.g. sand-mining.

2. Organizations Related to Water
Quality Management (cont.)
Somekey
Government
institutions(national level) are recognized to engage
in the consumption and management ofwater and its natural resources (ref. totheir mandate), e.g. Cambodia National
Mekong Committee (CNMC); Ministry ofIndustry, Mine and Energy (MIME);
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry andFishery (MAFF); Ministry of Public Worksand Transport (MPWT); and so on.

2. Organizations Related to Water
Quality Management (cont.)
To

comply with the Government
policy toward the implementation ofdecentralization procedure, some key
ministries have delegated a selfresponsibility to department and/or
institution at sub-national level, e.g.
the MoE, MoWRAM as well.

3. Water Quality ManagementPolicy
The National Water Resources Policy for

the Kingdom of Cambodia was adopted
by the Councils Minister in 2004.
 It covers both surface and groundwaters.
 Key areas focusing by the Policy are:agriculture, energy, industry, small
manufacturing enterprises and services,
domestic use, navigation and tourism.
Legal and institutional frameworks alsomentioned.

3. Water Quality Management
Policy (cont.)
 A part of the policy is highlighted about

the better water quality for consumers
and aquatic environment – a key tool tocontribute poverty alleviation.
 Public
participation and awarenessraising is one major component of thePolicy to provide opportunity tocommunities and relevant stakeholders
to engaging the protection, conservation,management and/or use of water
resources reflecting to the real demand.

4. Changes in Laws, Regulations,Standards
Laws on Water
Resources
Management

Laws on Env.
Protection andNatural Resources
Management

Sub-decree on
Water Pollution
Sub-decree on
Solid Waste
Management
Sub-decree on
EIA Process
OthersNat’l Policy on
Water
Resources
Strategic Planon Water
Resources
Manag. & Dev.

Water Environment
Management

Regional Agreement
and Related Guideline

Env. Strategic
Plan

Other Existing Policyand Strategies(Line Institutions)4. Changes in Laws, Regulations,Standards (cont.)
The environmental legislations are still

entered into forces through out thecountry.
 The MoE is currently developing thedraft environmental quality
management law (air, land and water).
 At least one or two sub-decrees will beamended

4. Changes in Laws, Regulations,Standards (cont.)
The Law on Water Resources Management

was enacted in 2007.
 The Article 22 and Article 23 addressing
on various aspects which impacted andpolluted to water environment.
 Sub-decrees will be developed under theLaw including such as:- River Basin Management- Water Allocation and Licensing- Water Quality (Technical standard fordischarged wastewater)- Farmer Water User Community

5. Goals of Water Quality
Management Policy
 The National Water Resources Policy

for the Kingdom of Cambodia has withthe specific goals to ensure the effective,sustainable, wise and equitable use ofwater resources for further the next 20years to improve standards of living andalleviate the people poverty.

5. Goals of Water Quality
Management Policy (cont.) The specific Goals are follows by key

versions to: Access for all to safe, adequate, andaffordable drinking water, hygiene andappropriate price.
 Provide sufficient water for agriculture,industry and economic activities.
 Tackle and minimize for all from thethreat of loss of life and livelihood as aresult of water related hazards.
 Manage the water environment with unpolluted.

6. Future Challenges
Several key challenges are expected to beoccurred in the future (based on existingexperiences).
Such key challenges are identified: Gaps in managing water environment (atboth national and sub-national levels)
institutional framework (e.g. lacking offinancial and technical support,
expertise officers, LAB and reagents,
transparent action plan, etc.)
legal framework (e.g. lacking of specificstandard and the like, weak
implementing legal tools, etc.

6. Future Challenges (cont.)
 Gaps of low awareness, less participationand cooperation towards the protection ofwater environment and related resources,including the application of related
legislationsindustrial and private sectors, andrelevant stakeholders
 Gaps of some specific legal tools to solve
transboundary issues, and their application.

Thanks for your kind attention