Friday, May 18, 2007By Leang Delux
Cambodge SoirUnofficial translation from French by Tola Ek
Lawmakers have started studying on the draft law on water resources management. This occasion reminds about the tremendous challenges the country awaits in this sector.
On Thursday, lawmakers have started studying the draft law on the management of water resources which was prepared since 2001. Among the lawmakers who asked questions to the Minister of Water Resources, CPP MP Chiem Yeap stressed the lack of coherence by the government in this topic, as well as the Cambodian paradox: “During the high water level season, flooding take place all over. But as soon as the dry season comes, there is not even a single drop of water. And no one knows which ministry is responsible when there is a problem. It’s randomly either: the Ministry of Environment, of Agriculture, of Industry, or of Water Resources,” he noted.
“Give me $100 million”
Sam Rainsy discussed at length on the problem of flooding, which he said, is linked to deforestation. Without trees, Sam Rainsy explained, water seeps into the soil much faster. He sees in this phenomenon two serious consequences: the lowering of the phreatic surface (underground water table) and the rise of the water level in lakes and rivers. With the runoff from rainwater, soil is also washed off and deposited at the bottom of water bodies, thereby increasing the risk of water level rise.
Lim Kean Hor, the Minister of Water Resources, agreed with Sam Rainsy’s observations. “During the rainy season, each liter of runoff water takes away 170 mg of soil. Each year, the level of the Tonle Sap increases by 4 mm. It’s a real problem because the Tonle Sap is a regulator: it absorbs 15% of the Mekong Waters, thus limiting the rises of water level. The lakebed must be dredged. But maintenance must also be undertaken along the 36 rivers which flow into it. My ministry is here for that, but our means are limited and this sector does not attract any investment because there is no profit to be made. Only the people will benefit. Even Japan, our number one bilateral donor, is not interested in this,” he deplored before calling the MPs to increase his ministry’s budget. “Give me $100 million budget, and I will show you what we can do,” Lim Kean Hor said. He illustrated the powerlessness of his ministry with the example of flooding which recently affected the province of Banteay Meanchey. “There, three rivers which flow into the Tonle Sap are blocked. We know the cause of the flooding, but we don’t have the money to fix the problem.”
Water Geopolitics
Funcinpec MP Sisowath Santa raised concerns over the text of the draft law which requires that individuals and companies are required, from now on, to obtain an authorization from the ministry in order to make use of the water for reasons other than for vital needs, animal drinking, or the watering of gardens or family gardens. “Will we make all the [water] users pay, including the farmers?” she asked. “Don’t worry, your highness,” Lim Kean Hor answered, “We are not drafting law to bully the small people, but to help them and to prevent waste.”
Another Funcinpec lawmaker was concerned about the situation of the Thnot canal (Prek Thnot), in Kompong Speu, which threatens to flood Phnom Penh, Kandal and Kompong Speu. “Is there a project for fixing the canal?” he asked. “It’s true that there is a threat (of flooding,” the minister recognized before letting the audience know that there would be a start to resolve this problem. Three rivers flow into this canal and regulate its course, but two are being currently dredged. A sign that geopolitics can do miracle in a sector which the donors are usually not interested in: the first river which flows into the Prek Thnot, is currently being dredged by Pakistan; the second river is dredged by Pakistan’s largest neighbor and rival: India.
Cambodian fishing boats at a river in Kandal province, Cambodia, 12 March 2010, in this picture made available 22 March 2010. World Water Day on 22 March 2010 focuses on the needs of the 900 million people who don't have access to safe water. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says 2.7 billion people, including 980 million children, currently lack access to proper sanitation facilities and 880 million people go without access to a basic water supply. More than half of the population in the Pacific Islands do not have access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation and more than half of the population in South Asia do not have access to proper sanitation. A staggering 50 per cent of all hospital beds in the developing world are occupied by victims of unsafe water and sanitation. EPA/MAK REMISSA
A Cambodian man washes his cows in a riverbed in Kandal province, Cambodia, 10 March 2010 in this picture made available 22 March 2010. World Water Day on 22 March 2010 focuses on the needs of the 900 million people who don’t have access to safe water. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says 2.7 billion people, including 980 million children, currently lack access to proper sanitation facilities and 880 million people go without access to a basic water supply. More than half of the population in the Pacific Islands do not have access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation and more than half of the population in South Asia do not have access to proper sanitation. A staggering 50 per cent of all hospital beds in the developing world are occupied by victims of unsafe water and sanitation. EPA/MAK REMISSA
A Cambodian fisherman stands on his boat at the Mekong river in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 17 March 2010, in this picture made available 22 March 2010. World Water Day on 22 March 2010 focuses on the needs of the 900 million people who don’t have access to safe water. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says 2.7 billion people, including 980 million children, currently lack access to proper sanitation facilities and 880 million people go without access to a basic water supply. More than half of the population in the Pacific Islands do not have access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation and more than half of the population in South Asia do not have access to proper sanitation. A staggering 50 per cent of all hospital beds in the developing world are occupied by victims of unsafe water and sanitation. EPA/MAK REMISSA
