Supporting the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority in the context of the challenge of urban growth

Despite Cambodia’s abundant water resources, less than 50% of urban dwellers had access to safe drinking water in 2010. The situation is much better in Phnom Penh, with a coverage rate of 85% in the central districts. The coverage rate is all the more remarkable as Phnom Penh has seen a steady and sustained increase in its population over the last 15 years. The capital city is home to 10% of the country’s population, absorbs most of the rural exodus and is the base for most of the country’s industrial activity. In this dynamic demographic and economic context, the PPWSA has, in recent years, implemented a sustained investment programme to meet the growing demand for high-quality water.

The project provides: 

• Network expansion: the density of connections to the existing network will be increased and expanded to the disadvantaged peripheral districts not yet covered by the distribution network;
• The Chamcar Mon station renovation has increased its processing capacity from 14,000 m³ per day to 52,000 m³ per day;
• Thus, the PPWSA will be able to meet the demand for water in the capital until 2021.

AFD continues its privileged cooperation with PPWSA which, thanks to exemplary management and the technical and financial support of donors, has posted a remarkable technical and financial performance and is a success story in Cambodia and beyond its borders.

• Economic: reduction in water bills for connected households (300,000 people) who, in the absence of the project, would have continued to buy their water from private resellers at rates three times higher than the average price of the PPWSA.
• Social: expansion of the distribution network to the disadvantaged peripheral districts that were not yet covered by it.
• Health: improving water quality, with a positive effect on the health of population, reducing health expenditure by 25%.