A $300 million water diversion project in Phnom Penh and several urban areas has been approved by the government, although a civil society group said a major cause of flooding is due to the filling of the lakes around the city.
“I’ve laid out the principles and plans to try to solve the flood issue in Phnom Penh […] I approved about $300 million for implementation,” Prime Minister Hun Manet said at the annual meeting of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorological on Wednesday.
Hun Manet said the project focuses on two areas, to prevent water from hitting Phnom Penh, and to solve the existing water release system by restoring canals to release water, rehabilitating new sewers and setting up pumping stations.
The water diversion project would reduce the flow of water into Prek Tnaot river and divert it to Takeo, Kampong Speu and Kandal provinces, which is then channeled to Tonle Bassac.
The project would also rehabilitate existing canals, including three large canals, and restore 10 small rivers and see the construction of four new pumping stations to stop water flow into Phnom Penh.
President Yang Kim Eng of NGO People Center for Development and Peace expressed concern that the filling of lakes and lack of main canals remain a major cause of flooding. However, he supports the project to reduce flooding in Phnom Penh and urban areas.
“I don’t know for sure whether $300 million would tackle the issue [flooding] when there are lakes being filled around the city,” he said.
“If there are no more lakes in Phnom Penh, flooding could happen. In Cambodia, we have to designate more main canals to release water, if not, it’ll still be flooded,” Kim Eng said.
He added that the existing main canals have insufficient capacity to release flood waters in Phnom Penh because of poor urban planning and drainage system.
“We only have a small number or main canals and they’re small, which limits the relief of floods,” Kim Eng remarked.
According to former Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2021, filled lakes did not result in the city being flooded but it was a result of “torrential rains”.
Motorcycle repair shop owner Vorn Srey Mech, 30, in Phnom Penh’s Tuol Tompoung II commune, said the flood mitigation project was a “good thing” for those living in the capital.
Every time it floods, it affects her home, where she also operates her business.
“The flood water enters my house, causing damage to a lot of [motorcycle repair] equipment. Customers do not want to buy the product after that,” Srey Mech said.
Sharing a similar experience, Phen Mengsang, 48, said the flood waters affect his motorcycle engine and it costs a lot to repair it.
“It’s also very difficult to travel when there is severe flooding,” he said, adding that if the government decides one day to solve the issue in all districts, that will be a huge relief. For the current project, he opined, although the project might not resolve the entire problem, it will largely reduce flooding.
Bun Paovichet, 31, who lives in Chaom Chao commune, said the government’s solution is a good move as the floods have greatly affected business and travel as well as pagodas, hospitals, schools and homes in Phnom Penh.
It also affects the government which loses revenue when the capital city is flooded.
“It is very difficult when the water enters the house and the electricity system is cut off. It’s also difficult to sleep.
“In addition, insects enter the house and the structure of the house is damaged. The longer the water remains, the more the damage and the money required to repair it,” Paovichet said.
Phnom Penh Municipal deputy governor Keut Chhe said the project is being implemented gradually by the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the City Hall.
Chhe declined to elaborate on the allegations by civil society groups that filled-in lakes caused flooding in the city. He only said, “please ask civil society groups to show the indicators.”
Ministry of Water Resource and Meteorology spokesperson Chan Youttha could not be reached for comment.
