Try Pheap Engineering & Construction Co Ltd has requested permission from Prime Minister Hun Sen to pump and restore the banks of the Mekong river, according to a Council of Ministers’ letter.

The restoration area in question stretches from the Kaam Samnor Cambodia-Vietnam border checkpoint to Kampong Cham and Kratie provinces.

The letter – signed by Secretary of State of the Council of Ministers Chrea Sochenda and sent to the Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology Lim Kean Hor on Tuesday – said that on May 1, Hun Sen gave approval in principle to Try Pheap Engineering & Construction’s request.

The prime minister tasked Kean Hor with opening discussions with relevant institutions and providing feedback on the matter.

With regard to the works in question, The Post was unable to receive further clarification from the ministry’s spokesman Chan Yutha.

Try Pheap Engineering & Construction could also not be reached for clarification on the matter.

Collapsing river banks have become a concern in the Kingdom in recent years. In March and October last year, inter-ministry meetings were held to resolve riverbank collapse problems and prevent more incidents from occurring.

The meeting was attended by officials from the ministries of Economy and Finance; Water Resources and Meteorology; Mines and Energy; and Civil Service.

Over the course of October, November and December last year, there were three reported cases of riverbank collapses.

One occurred in Phnom Penh’s Chbar Ampov district, another in Kampong Cham town and a third in Kandal province’s Mok Kampoul district.