A new free drinking water fountain at Wat Botum Park has been presented as a symbol of Franco-Cambodian cooperation ahead of the Francophonie summit, with the public asking whether the facility will continue to serve Phnom Penh residents after the end of the event.
The water fountain was set up at the Village de la Francophonies at Wat Botum Park, a public space for people to exercise or relax. During the summit, visitors, exhibitors, and participants will be able to access high-quality drinking water, according to the French Development Agency (AFD).
Cambodia is hosting the 20th Francophonie Summit from November 13 to 17 in the capital, where leaders from 90 member states and governments of the International Organisation of La Francophonie will gather.
French President Emmanual Macron is expected to attend, Cambodia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement, noting that several agreements and cooperation documents, related to economy, investment, culture and defense would be signed during his visit.
AFD said the installation of the drinking water fountain with the Phnom Penh Authorities Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) demonstrates decades of Franco-Cambodian effort, including the Bakheng project, to improve access to safe drinking water to 1.3 million people in Phnom Penh.
“We never had access to free public drinking water,” said Tuon Tan, a tuk-tuk driver who was parked near Wat Botum Park to pick up customers.
“It is good if there is a program like this because I buy bottled water along the road every day, spending 4,000 riel [approximately $1] for two bottles. Having drinking water fountains would be good for me and other citizens,” he said.
“I want them [drinking water fountains] to remain there permanently so that citizens can access drinking water when walking along the streets,” he said.
“Clean water is very important. Sometimes when I get hungry, I only drink water to replace rice,” Tan said, adding it would help people save money from having to buy bottled water.
Chet Seang, 35, a worker who installed the drinking water fountain, told CamboJA News that it was being installed specifically for the Francophonie event.
“If there were more drinking water fountains in public places, it would reduce the amount of money we spend on buying drinking water,” he said, adding that drinking fountains provide clean water free of charge.
“I want to see more drinking water fountains installed in public spaces so that people can access free drinking water after exercising [in the park],” Seang said.
For the past 30 years, France has supported PPWSA via AFD to rebuild, expand and modernize Phnom Penh’s water network through investment and capacity-building initiatives.
Yong Kim Eng, executive director of the People’s Center for Development and Peace, said many citizens still lack access to clean drinking water.
“We see that access to clean drinking water is increasing in many places. We think this is a very positive development as it allows the public, including the homeless, to access clean drinking water,” he said.
However, challenges persist in the country in ensuring access to clean drinking water with rural residents still lacking clean water supply despite the government’s efforts to introduce water policies.
Soeung Saran, executive director of Sahmakum Teang Tnaut, lauded the installation of a clean water station in a public park. “In foreign countries, clean water is available in most public areas. In our country, we see this as a good starting point,” he said.
Phnom Penh Municipal spokesperson Dor Samphors declined to comment.
