Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Rural latrine access on the rise, gov’t finds

Rural latrine access on the rise, gov’t finds

A woman stands next to a new latrine installed on a property in Kampong Speu as part of a sanitation project in 2013.
A woman stands next to a new latrine installed on a property in Kampong Speu as part of a sanitation project in 2013. Sen David

Rural latrine access on the rise, gov’t finds

The Ministry of Rural Development on Friday announced that more than half of Cambodians now have access to improved sanitation such as latrines.

According to the ministry’s statement, 47 per cent of Cambodians now lack access to improved sanitation, compared to 89 per cent in 1990.

The goal is to bring that number down to 40 per cent by 2018 and to zero by 2025, according to Chea Sophara, the minister of rural development.

“It is our pride that in the last two decades we decreased the number of people lacking sanitation to 47 per cent in 2015,” Sophara said in a statement.

He also boasted that the number of people with access to both improved latrines and clean water had risen to 46 per cent of Cambodians, up from 23 per cent in 2008.

Natascha Paddison, a deputy representative of UNICEF, who joined the ministry in celebrating National Sanitation Day on Friday, said that the Cambodian government and relevant NGOs must work together to make the 2025 goal a reality.

“Developing sanitation is the first step for local authorities to develop [healthy habits] in their communities,” she said.

The ministry’s latest figures are more optimistic than the World Bank’s, which found that only 42 per cent of Cambodians had access to improved sanitation such as flush toilets, latrines or composting toilets in 2015.

Cambodia remains behind many of its neighbours in providing sanitation. About 71 per cent of Lao PDR’s population has access to improved sanitation, according to the World Bank numbers.

In Vietnam, that proportion reaches 78 per cent and in Thailand, 93 per cent.

Other World Bank statistics as of earlier this year showed that as many as 66 per cent of Cambodians still practise open defecation, like Seng Sors, a 47-year-old man living in Oddar Meanchey’s Samrong town.

“We live in the rural area and also in the wild,” Sors said in an interview. “We do not have a latrine because we did not have money to build it and it’s our custom to defecate anywhere.”

Consequences include high rates of diarrhoea, skin disease, respiratory illness and intestinal and other waterborne diseases.

Diarrheal infections alone kill a fifth of Cambodian children aged 5 and below, and cause an estimated 10,000 deaths annually, according to UNICEF.

However, attitudes are starting to change, as in the case of Cham San, a Kampot resident.

“Now, we changed our custom because we need sanitation,” said San, who also said she wanted to protect her daughter. “I need a latrine for [my family]. We do not go in the wild – it would be very dangerous for us.”

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 orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host 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

  • 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

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one