Fresh, clean water is vital to health. People need to replenish fluids and nutrients as a result of dehydration. Water also protects organs and detoxifies the body.

Fortunately in Cambodia, we can drink clean water without prior boiling or decanting.

“It is true that our water is clean. We can drink it anytime because it has already been purified by the water treatment plant,” affirmed Khut Vuthiarith, deputy general director of Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority.

Vuthiarith described how water is first collected from the river and then added with chemicals such as alum, lime and chlorine.

The alum compound helps to clarify water, while lime balances the acidity, and chlorine eliminates virus, he said.

Vuthiarith said that the water treatment plant tests the pH levels of 80 water locations in Phnom Penh three times daily.

Moreover, water samples are sent to Singapore and Shanghai laboratories annually for further tests.