The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) has completed a project to install additional 800mm and 600mm water pipes on National Road 4 from Road 120K to the special economic zone and the Kamboul area on the outskirts of the capital.
PPWSA director-general Long Narotold The Post on April 11 that this will guarantee an adequate water supply to these areas, noting that from the Kob Srov Dam to the Kamboul Market and south of National Road 4 in Kamboul district, people now have enough water, after previously suffering shortages.
He said the PPWSA had worked tirelessly to accelerate the construction of the pipelines, with work going on 24 hours a day since March 1. On April 9, the installation of the main pipes was completed, and the team opened the water supply to the Kamboul area.
“For more than one month, we have worked hard to provide clean running water. Now the public have water security. Children are playing and spraying water all over the village. We now have enough water in the Kamboul area,” he said.
Long Naro said the PPWSA delivered water to anywhere that required it, and was working on guaranteeing permanent supply to those places which still experienced shortages.
“As a resident of Kamboul district, I would like to thank the director-general and staff of the PPWSA for connecting the clean water network to the people living in this area, and ending the years of water shortages,” said local man Lim Son.
The PPWSA said population growth and investment in the construction sector – such as condominiums, warehouses and supermarkets – along with an increase in trade meant water demands in Phnom Penh and neighbouring Takhmao town of Kandal province were increasing every day. Total demand is currently 800,000 cubic metre per day, which exceeds the current production capacity of 600,000 cubic metre, he added.
The PPWSA is accelerating the construction of the Bakheng Water Treatment Plant, which has a capacity of 390,000 cubic metre a day. The first phase will produce 195,000 cubic metre per day, and the second phase will add 219,500 cubic metre. The first phase was 65 per cent complete, and was on schedule to enter service in 2023.
In a related incident on April 10, the PPWSA notified the public of a water leak in the 800mm pipe at 7pm.
The notice said contractors – who were working on the third city ring road on Road 120K – had hit the pipe near the intersection with National Road 4, causing a a major leak. The authority immediately dispatched a repair crew, who worked all night to solve the issue. By 7am the following morning, the pipe was once again operational.
