A committee will be established to look into the construction of a 5-hectare Japan-funded aquatic centre to fa­cilitate the study of more than 600 species of freshwater fish from the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Friday.

“I have instructed the formation of an inter-ministerial committee . . . led by Land Minister Chea Sophara as director and Sok Chenda Sophea [of the Council for the Development of Cambodia] as deputy director,” he said in a Facebook post.

“Authorities and involved ministries, such as the Phnom Penh Municipal Hall, Ministry of Agriculture and Mekong River Committee, will have to attend discussions on this project.”

Raised during a bilateral meeting between the premier and Fumiaki Takahashi, president of the Japan-Cambodia Association, on Friday, the project is estimated to require $100 million in aid from Japan.

According to Land Minister Sophara, the project is still in the preliminary stages.

“I am still looking for a plot of land for this project,” he said, adding that other details could not yet be confirmed.