Capital Expects 1.5 Million Visitors This Weekend
By Kay Kimsong and James Welsh
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The annual Water Festival arrives Saturday, bringing with it exciting boat races, an expected 15 million visitors, and potential logistical headaches for municipal officials— especially with regards to waste management.
Pa Socheatvong, Phnom Penh deputy governor, estimates that the population of the capital will essentially double during the three-day festival but insists that the city is standing at the ready.
"I think we have arranged enough toilets for the crowds of people and boat racers this year," Pa Socheatvong said.
He said that 50 portable toilets, along with the already-installed 30 permanent public toilets, will be more than enough to handle the estimated 1.5 million visitors.
Some would disagree.
In 2005, then-deputy municipal governor Mam Bun Neang said 200 public toilets had been installed for the three-day event but boat racers still complained that the toilet facilities remained inadequate for the heaving crowds.
Boat racers from around the nation, as well as from Thailand and Vietnam, have already started descending upon Phnom Penh.
Approximately 30,000 boat racers will be participating in the festival and will be setting up temporary residences on the Chroy Changva peninsula, across the river from the Royal Palace.
Mam Bun Neang added that the city will set up 10 different stations where people can receive emergency medical care and that water and electricity will be provided for the racers' temporary encampment.
"Where there is no clean water we will transport it by truck to them," he said.
Pich Saroeun, chief of Chroy Changva commune, explained that the racers and their families will be staying in schools and under plastic sheeting near the riverbank.
For the visitors, 30 holes will be dug in the ground for use as toilets.
But with one million people expected to visit the peninsula, 30 holes may not be enough, he said.
"I think waste and human waste will leave a terrible smell for Chroy Changva residents," Pech Saroeun said.
On the other side of the Tonle Sap river, Som Sreng, a 34-year-old toilet supervisor working on Sisowath Quay, said she expects to be busy during the festival and that she will be charging 200 riel per customer.
"I have good business once a year," she said.
Daily garbage collection and street sweeping will also be addressed and the City Public Works Department and private garbage collector Cintri (Cambodia) Co Ltd will be working closely together, Pa Socheatvong said.
Seng Chamroeun, deputy director of Cintri, said Phnom Penh can expect approximately 250 tons of extra waste per day during the Water Festival.
Phnom Penh currently produces about 1,000 tons of waste per day, he said.
Cintri has hired an additional 360 employees for garbage collection and street sweeping and will be placing 400 garbage bins at various focal points around the city, he said.
The biggest obstacle facing the clean-up operation is that Cambodian people don't like throwing their garbage in the supplied containers.
"We have a bin for them, but they don’t put," he said.
In previous years, Seng Chamroeun said the firm tried to create public awareness by advertising, but it was unsuccessful.
On the government's end Cheap Sivorn, the municipality's director of environment, said his department will lead 150,000 to 200,000 school students around the city to pick up garbage after the festival.
"We all need to help to clean up the city within one day," he said.
Pa Socheatvong called on revelers to behave in an orderly manner, adding that NGOs will be handing out condoms at Wat Botum, Wat Ounalom and Hun Sen Park.
"This is a good opportunity to do an education campaign for AIDS," he said.
Oeu Pok, 76, a manager for boat racers from Koh Thom district in Kandal province, said his team brought their own generator but that he was concerned about food and water shortages, as well as the lack of toilets.
He said he remembers his and other teams lining up for long periods of time last year at toilets on Chroy Changva.
He added that he wished the municipality would organize the event better for the racers, as it gets confusing at times knowing what to do.
"We don't know what the city has prepared for us. We just came to Phnom Penh and found a place for our team to set up."
Pa Socheatvong, Phnom Penh deputy governor, estimates that the population of the capital will essentially double during the three-day festival but insists that the city is standing at the ready.
"I think we have arranged enough toilets for the crowds of people and boat racers this year," Pa Socheatvong said.
He said that 50 portable toilets, along with the already-installed 30 permanent public toilets, will be more than enough to handle the estimated 1.5 million visitors.
Some would disagree.
In 2005, then-deputy municipal governor Mam Bun Neang said 200 public toilets had been installed for the three-day event but boat racers still complained that the toilet facilities remained inadequate for the heaving crowds.
Boat racers from around the nation, as well as from Thailand and Vietnam, have already started descending upon Phnom Penh.
Approximately 30,000 boat racers will be participating in the festival and will be setting up temporary residences on the Chroy Changva peninsula, across the river from the Royal Palace.
Mam Bun Neang added that the city will set up 10 different stations where people can receive emergency medical care and that water and electricity will be provided for the racers' temporary encampment.
"Where there is no clean water we will transport it by truck to them," he said.
Pich Saroeun, chief of Chroy Changva commune, explained that the racers and their families will be staying in schools and under plastic sheeting near the riverbank.
For the visitors, 30 holes will be dug in the ground for use as toilets.
But with one million people expected to visit the peninsula, 30 holes may not be enough, he said.
"I think waste and human waste will leave a terrible smell for Chroy Changva residents," Pech Saroeun said.
On the other side of the Tonle Sap river, Som Sreng, a 34-year-old toilet supervisor working on Sisowath Quay, said she expects to be busy during the festival and that she will be charging 200 riel per customer.
"I have good business once a year," she said.
Daily garbage collection and street sweeping will also be addressed and the City Public Works Department and private garbage collector Cintri (Cambodia) Co Ltd will be working closely together, Pa Socheatvong said.
Seng Chamroeun, deputy director of Cintri, said Phnom Penh can expect approximately 250 tons of extra waste per day during the Water Festival.
Phnom Penh currently produces about 1,000 tons of waste per day, he said.
Cintri has hired an additional 360 employees for garbage collection and street sweeping and will be placing 400 garbage bins at various focal points around the city, he said.
The biggest obstacle facing the clean-up operation is that Cambodian people don't like throwing their garbage in the supplied containers.
"We have a bin for them, but they don’t put," he said.
In previous years, Seng Chamroeun said the firm tried to create public awareness by advertising, but it was unsuccessful.
On the government's end Cheap Sivorn, the municipality's director of environment, said his department will lead 150,000 to 200,000 school students around the city to pick up garbage after the festival.
"We all need to help to clean up the city within one day," he said.
Pa Socheatvong called on revelers to behave in an orderly manner, adding that NGOs will be handing out condoms at Wat Botum, Wat Ounalom and Hun Sen Park.
"This is a good opportunity to do an education campaign for AIDS," he said.
Oeu Pok, 76, a manager for boat racers from Koh Thom district in Kandal province, said his team brought their own generator but that he was concerned about food and water shortages, as well as the lack of toilets.
He said he remembers his and other teams lining up for long periods of time last year at toilets on Chroy Changva.
He added that he wished the municipality would organize the event better for the racers, as it gets confusing at times knowing what to do.
"We don't know what the city has prepared for us. We just came to Phnom Penh and found a place for our team to set up."
12 comments:
stupid people just water festival for 3 days can't wait to have sex with prositutes. And stupid government allow more people to open brothels for sex.
That the way of people you stupid 9:46Pm, you think you the best and people should act like you stupid idiot, you have communis mentality!
Sex is good for your health... it heal you and other person who enjoying doing it with you.
Condom to promote sex in Cambodia is a must and is a Plus.
Great!!!
I agree sex is good, who wouldn't love it, also using condom is a plus, it's a good to promote sex education in cambodia, the problem is free access to anyone, it must some limitation. 11.31pm, i think you the stupid one, what the hell wrong with you, your wife can't give you enough, that's why you go for prostitution. I mean come on, some of those girl are not even 18, can you imagine doing your own sister, sicko
YOU FUCKING HEAD I DO NOT TALK ABOUT YOU DO IT WITH YOUR SISTER! BETTER TO PROVID HELP FOR PEOPLE AND ANY COUNTRY HAVE THIS KIND OF PROBLEM WHEN THERE IS BIG EVENT SO DO NOT CONFUSE THAT WE CAMBODIAN IS WRONG AND DIFFERENCE FROM OTHERS PEOPLE!
you fucking head 1:19AM, you fucking have communist mentality!
SEX IS GOOD AND FUN, BUT PLEASE DON'T HAVE SEX WHILE HAVE WATER FESTIVAL FOR THREE DAYS! PLEASE DON'T BE CRAZY FOR SEX!
That is a fairly good news for having some private places to get rid of the poor bird. IT'S NOT THE BEST OF OUR EXPECTATION, BUT WHAT CAN WE SAY?.
Let's talk about trash. Why not put a sign that will say " 5000 reil fine for littering " or may be " 10,000 riel fine for littering? "
Let Mr. Governor makes some big bucks for city or using that money for the poor?
I bet that would teach everyone fast not to trashing papers or cans or cups around anymore.
For every 50 to 100 metters there should be as trash can ( make of wood or bambo tree or something,if we can NOT affort the real aluminum trash cans )and for everyone's shop, there should be a trash can providing to the guests.
That's a great idea too for AIDS'S EDUCATION. DEOS EVRYONE WANTS TO LIVE OR DIE? DO WE WANT TO DO SOME PASSIONATE THING CARELESSLY?, IRRESPONSIBLY ? AND GET SICK LATER? OR WORSE, YET GOING HOME TO INFECT OUR INNOCENT FAMILY? IS THAT WHAT WE WANT?
TO HAVE A GOVERMENT SUPPLIES US WITH SOME FREE PROTECTION, WE ALL BETTER SAY THANK YOU FOR THEIR CARING AND CONCERNING OR LOOKING AFTER OUR SAFETY. NOW GO HOME AND THINK TWICE OR MAY BE 3 TIMES, BEFORE WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO DO SOME DANGEROUS ACT THAT COULD TAKE OUR LIFE AWAY WHEN YOU GET HOME OR AFTER THE FESTIVAL!
... AND PHNOM PENH OR ANY CITY IN CAMBODIA SHOULD ALWAYS KEEP CLEAN EVERYDAY REGARDLESS OF HAVING A FESTIVAL OR NOT. IT SHOULD BE SET UP AS A REGULAR STANDARD OF KHMERS LIVING. WE NEED TO THINK OF "A BETTER APPEARANCE" AND KEEP OUR HOMES AND EVERY PLACE CLEANER THAN IT USE TO BE.
SEEING THE PALACE? SHOULD KING BE THE ONLY ONE LIVING IN THE CLEANEST PLACE IN CAMBODIA?. IT'S OUR INDIVIDAUL POWER TO TURN IT AROUND AND AGAIN, HERE IS OUR CHOISE AND FREEDOM TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. THAT IS THE LEAST WE CAN DO TO HELP OURSELVES. CAN WE GET RID OF SOME OF THOSE JUNKY LOOKING STUFF ALONG THE ROAD AND ALONG THE HOUSE?
PLANT FLOWERS.
SOME OF OUR PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO MAKE POT AND PAN FROM CLAY OR SOFT DIRT. ASK THEM TO MAKE FLOWER POTS. PROMOTE HOME MAKE PRODUCTS AND SELL THEM AT A CHEAPER PRICE. PLANTING FLOWERS PROMOTE HARMONEY. PLANTING THEM ON TOP OF SOME OF THOSE POTS TO ADVERTICE! THAT WILL ADD SOME CUTE APPEARANCE TO EVERY KHMER'S HOME AND LET OUR GOVERNMENT KNOW THAT WE APPRECIATE THIER EVERY EFFORT THEY WOULD MAKE TO HELP US OUT AND GOOD LUCK!
THINK PARADISE CAMBODIA AND DO SOMETHING!
YOUR TITLE IS NOT SO FUNNY....
PLEASE REFRAIN IF YOU ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL.
THANK YOU
A PATRIOT
TO ANYONE WISHING TO CAMPAIGNE AGAINST POVERTY ( A ROYALTY MEMEMBER MAY BE?):
Please visit the dump city of Phnom Pehn. There,you will see plenty of orphanages and extremely poor people running after the garbage trucks, eating out of a garbags, make a living by the garbages'wall, selling snacks and drinks inside the garbages'field. Kids inhale poisonnous fume of trash and sleep among trash at night.
PLEASE FIND IT VERY DISTURBING AND HELP!
cut it out people..let's stop talking about Sex thing. It freak the hell out of me. I'm a virgin OK!!.
thanks.
To 6:05PM A PATRIOT?
Fuck you! Who the fuck are you coming to KI and tell people what to do? You think you are fucking professional? Professional in what?
You think your fucken English writting is way better than any other Cambodian people? ahahahahah!
As long as AH HUN SEN still in power you can still keep your wishful thinking!
6:05p.m, I told you that is what you'll get for being an idiot.
Bye!
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