Nearly 50 residents from North Por Prork village gathered Tuesday at the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA), four months after the authority agreed to supply water to the area. As the residents living near the Phnom Penh railway line continue to wait for the water authority to connect the water supply, they say they are dealing with hygiene and health issues and are struggling to pay for water from private suppliers.
“[The PPWSA] promised to connect the water supply for us but now we don’t hear anything. That’s why we come here,” said Sovann, a 54-year-old resident who lives near the railway, who only provided her given name. “How can we live without water?”
In October 2023, the villagers submitted a petition to the PPWSA which led to two weeks of meetings with commune chiefs and water authority representatives. The water authority agreed to provide water to the area. Officials said the authority had already studied what is needed to connect the water supply to the area, and three community representatives were selected to cooperate with the PPWSA in distributing the water supply to the community.
These communities that live along the railway track do not have land titles in the areas they reside, with a history of evictions in the area. North Por Prork residents told CamboJA News the village has not had a clean water supply, aside from private suppliers, for decades.
At the Tuesday meeting, a PPWSA representative, who did not respond when a CamboJA News reporter asked for his name, said the villagers will have access to clean water before April.
He said the authority needs to follow the procedures to comply with the law, including processing the needed documents and terms of conditions before they can supply water to the area. The next step in the process is to finalize a contract between the community representatives and the water authority, which he said is nearly complete. This project requires specific study and cooperation with authorities, as there are legal restrictions on digging soil for water pipes near a railway, he explained.
The PPWSA representative said the residents “still do not believe us” regarding the water authority’s work toward supplying water to the village, despite meeting with villagers and conducting a study of the area.
“All of us here believe you, but it has been too long and soon we will lack water [during the dry season],” responded Por Prork villager Chey Kunthy. “Our wait is too long.”
The PPWSA added that the villagers should trust information from the selected community representatives rather than journalists regarding updates on the water supply.
“When the water pressure is weak, you tell the journalists when we already help you,” he said. “If you don’t believe them [the community representatives], I don’t know who you believe. Believe journalists, but journalists don’t have water for you.”
PPWSA business director Som Sovann stated that the villagers will receive water before April, as it takes time to create a legal contract.
“We want to connect the water at any time. It is important that we agree on this contract, as our staff is ready,” Son Sovann said.
Every year during the dry season, people living in the outskirts of Phnom Penh and some areas in the city frequently lack water for short-term use. The water authority has claimed these issues are due to population growth and development.
The government has repeatedly pledged to provide clean water to all Cambodians by 2025. A PPWSA press release from March 2023 states that by 2024, all Phnom Penh and Takhmao residents will have access to sufficient water.
Teab Van Roeung, chief of Ka Kab I commune, which includes Por Prork village, said she has not been given additional updates on the water supply since the villagers met with the water authority in October. She added that the 88 families represented on Tuesday are living in a slum area which the Phnom Penh municipal government plans to develop.
Phnom Penh deputy governor Keut Chhe told CamboJA that the development of the railway project is under the control of the Ministry of Transportation, and the ministry will invite Phnom Penh municipal government “to join the meetings” if the project affects local residents.
The villager named Sovann has been struggling with the lack of water supply for years, saying that her husband’s health and hygiene suffered as a result, before his death in 2021. The weather has been hot this year, she added, and the price of the private water supply is expensive. She spends 100,000 riel per month, about $24, for water usage from a private supplier.
“I have grandchildren. Water is so important, not having electricity two or three days is fine but imagine if you don’t have water for one day,” said Sovann, who has lived in the area since 2003.
Another villager, Sem Ratha, 58, told CamboJA News that she was happy to hear during the Tuesday meeting that her family will have access to clean water soon.
“When I heard we will have water before April, I was so excited because for almost 30 years I have been using water from a private supplier,” she said. “It is very difficult when we are a big family, with small kids that need water.”
Ratha added that using water from private suppliers is expensive and her family is often unable to afford enough water for their needs. In order to stretch the water they had, her family saves used water from washing clothes and vegetables to be used again in the bathroom. The water pressure of the water purchased from the private supplier is also low, she said.
Yang Kim Eng, president of the NGO the People’s Center for Development and Peace, said the government has a duty to provide public services to people, no matter where they are living. If the government fails to provide basic services such as clean water, this will affect the livelihoods and health of citizens.
“Even if they are living in a slum area, they automatically deserve those services,” he said. “Once they are not receiving them, they become victims and the government should respond to that matter.”
