SRWSA director-general Khut Vuthiarith (centre left) and JICA chief representative Haruko Kamei sign documents for the water and sanitation improvement project on Monday. JICA
The Siem Reap Water Supply Authority (SRWSA) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Cambodia Office have signed an agreement to implement the “Project for Water and Sanitation Improvement Preventing Covid-19” under Japanese Grant Technical Assistance. The project is expected to benefit 93,426 people.
The signing ceremony was presided over by SRWSA director-general Khut Vuthiarith and chief representative of JICA Haruko Kamei on October 11.
The project aims to enhance Covid-19 prevention measures through expansion of safe and sustainable water supply and improving the practice of hand washing. It will expand water supply through the installation of 270km of pipes which will supply 60,000 cubic metres of water per day.
The project will also provide chemical additives such as chlorine and lime to ensure water quality to meet national drinking water quality standards. It will provide water metres, pipes and fittings as well as other equipment to SRWSA to provide clean water to unsupplied areas in Siem Reap town’s Slakram and Sala Kamroeuk communes.
It will also enforce awareness-raising activities to people in Siem Reap town about the importance of safe water and hand washing to prevent Covid-19.
This project is part of the emergency support from the Japanese government in response to an official request from the Cambodian government. The project will be completed by the end of July 2022.
“It is expected that people living in the project’s areas and services areas of SRWSA – approximately 93,426 people – would benefit,” JICA said in a press release.
JICA said it has been one of the major development partners and has contributed in both hard and soft infrastructure. To date, many technical cooperation projects have been implemented with the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Many water supply facilities have been constructed in several provinces with a grant from Japan, it said.
In Siem Reap province, JICA has provided grant aid to build a water supply system in 2006 with a capacity of 8,000 cubic metres per day by installing 36km of pipes.
“This project reflects the commitment of the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Government of Japan in deepening and widening mutual cooperation, especially in a time of difficulty,” JICA said in the press release.
