Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Kampong Cham homes set to reach full power, water by 2025

Kampong Cham homes set to reach full power, water by 2025

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Khlot Phorn, Chairman of Kampong Cham Provincial Council speaks in a press conference on February 1 at Council of Ministers. Hong Menea

Kampong Cham homes set to reach full power, water by 2025

Clean water and electricity are now being provided to almost 100 per cent of homes in Kanpong Cham, with provincial authorities saying full coverage will be achieved by 2025.

At a February 1 press conference held at the Council of Ministers to discuss developmental progress in Kampong Cham, provincial council chairman Khlot Phorn said that clean water now reached 107 of 109 communes, equal to 98.16 per cent, and 94.32 per cent of the province’s 916 villages. And electricity was now connected to 914 villages, meaning 99.78 per cent of villages were on the grid.

“The electricity and clean water story is a miracle, because in Cambodia we had never before achieved this level of access. In Kampong Cham there are just two villages that still lack electricity,” he said, adding that clean water and electricity had been connected in even the remotest areas.

Oum Vibol, director of the provincial Department of Water Resources and Meteorology, said there were two communes in Stung Trang district which had not found investors willing to provide clean water.

“These two communes are very remote and far from water resources. The investment potential is not favourable, because houses in these communes are scattered. A cost-price analysis has shown that providing clean water is not economically viable,” he said.

He pointed out that the government’s policy on clean water meant that 100 per cent of the nation would receive it by 2025. He urged existing service providers to expand the water distribution network to reach the target population base.

Ly Chanthy, director of the provincial Department of Mines and Energy, said that of the two villages that did not have access to electricity, one was in a very remote area, while another is on a small island in the middle of the river in Kang Meas district, making it difficult to connect to electricity.

“One village in Stung Trang district is located in a private rubber plantation area. [State-owned] Electricite du Cambodge and provincial electricity authority have tried to expand into that area, but currently they have not found a solution,” he said, referring to one remote village.

Provincial council chairman Phorn said that the policy of decentralisation and deconcentration, which empowered and funded communes, had played an important role in local development and accomplished a lot.

He said that in 2021, the provincial administration had 17 development projects, while communes had 139 projects and districts had 34. The policy was a new concept for Cambodia, and facilitated development closer to the people.

“I give the example that in the past, to develop a commune, we were not provided with our own operating budget. Everything had to be approved and implemented by ministries and institutions at a national level. This often meant that some communes received regular funding, and some did not.

“But since the introduction of the decentralization and deconcentration policy, communes have their own funds. This fund keeps growing year on year, meaning we can achieve strong development in our communes,” he said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to