Cambodia launched a $90 million wastewater treatment project in Kandal Province, bringing the total number of wastewater treatments to 14 nationwide. The initiative was welcomed by a civil society organization, which praised the government for ensuring environmental sustainability and public health.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Takhmao City sewerage system—funded through a concessional loan by the Korean government in partnership with Cambodia—marks a significant step toward expanding the country’s sanitation infrastructure.
Prime Minister Hun Manet said a national goal was set to reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater into public water bodies—including lakes, rivers, streams, and the sea—by 50 percent by 2050.
The 36-month construction will be completed in 2027. “After that, it will be transformed into a water treatment facility serving 10,000 households […] This wastewater treatment reservoir will help improve the health of hundreds of thousands of citizens in the future,” he said.
He urged authorities in provinces bordering rivers and seas to ensure that factories and enterprises located nearby process their wastewater through treatment facilities before discharging it to ensure cleanliness.
The Korean government’s concessional loan will support water treatment efforts in six communes in Takhmao City in response to accelerating development projects and population in the area.
Public Works and Transport Minister Peng Ponea said they constructed sewerage systems in 14 sites and 11 dump sites, including drainage infrastructure in cities and urban areas around the Tonle Sap region, coastal zones, and key tourist destinations.
The construction of the wastewater treatment station includes a treatment facility using the natural filtration method (waste stabilization pond) covering 30 hectares with the capacity to treat 12,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day, he said.
The project also includes the construction of seven wastewater pumping stations and various types of sewage networks with a total length of 125.3 kilometers, as well as 10,000 households connection work to channel wastewater into the treatment system. This covers a service area of six communes.
The water treatment project comes amid growing concerns over increasing water pollution from factories and businesses, as the Environment Ministry reported that 28 factories and companies have discharged waste into public waterways.
San Mala, Head of Network and Advocacy at the NGO Partnership for Environment and Development, lauded the government for expanding the wastewater treatment infrastructure in line with Cambodia’s ongoing development.
“Tourism is part of Cambodia’s economy, but if water sources in major tourist destinations become polluted, it will stop visitors from coming to our country,” he said.
It is important to preserve natural lakes, Mala remarked, urging the government not to fill them or transfer the land to the private sector for development.
“These natural lakes, with their vegetation, play a crucial role in filtering pollutants given that Cambodia still lacks comprehensive wastewater treatment facilities,” Mala said.
Separately, he noted that the government’s effort to stop the discharge of untreated wastewater into the sea came as a result of activity and advocacy from environmental activists Mother Nature Cambodia.
