Country background
- In Cambodia, there are still significant gaps in the provision of water supply and sanitation between urban and rural areas. The government's main focus is to target services to rural areas, where about 80% of the population is located.
Policies and strategies
- The development of the water and sanitation sector in Cambodia is under its Cambodian Millennium Development Goals (CMDGs) number 7: Ensure environmental sustainability. It stipulates increased safe water supply services for 50% of rural population and adequate sanitation services for 30% of rural population by 2015.
- The 2003 National Policy on Water Supply and Sanitation (NPWSS) states that every person in rural communities has sustained access to safe water and sanitation services and lives in a hygienic environment by 2025. This policy was jointly prepared by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME) and the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD).
- The Royal Government of Cambodia endorsed National Drinking Water Quality Standards (NDWQS) in 2004. The National Water Resources Policy and Law on Water Resources Management were approved in 2004 and 2007 respectively.
- In February 2003, a National Policy on Urban Sanitation was issued. The policy encourages demand-based approaches to development, investment, roles and responsibilities of concerned national and sub-national agencies, sanitation services to poor families, and private sector participation.
- The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Investment Plan for 2005-2015 describes overall sector financing requirements and expected levels of coverage based on the CMDGs.
- A National Strategy on Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (RWSSH) for 2010-2015 is being developed. The strategy will be based on consumer demand, financial policies that leverage community investment, private sector participations and investment in sanitation.
Institutions
- The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) oversees water supply and sanitation in rural Cambodia. Within the MRD, the Department of Rural Health Care (DRHC) is responsible for sanitation and hygiene promotion, as well as monitoring of the related services. MRD’s Department of Rural Water Supply (DRWS) is tasked to develop water supply for rural areas.
- In urban areas, the provision of drinking water and the regulation of the private sector involved in piped water systems fall under the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME). The MIME oversees the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA), an autonomous government agency, which produces and supplies clean water for general uses in Phnom Penh City. Rural water provided by private operators or public authorities capable of full cost recovery also fall under the jurisdiction of MIME.
- The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) has the key mandate for urban drainage including sewage.
- The Ministry of Health (MoH) is in charge of public health issues, e.g. the water quality of public water supplies, and includes behavioral change as one of its six priority areas of work.
- Other ministries such as the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MoWRAM) and the Ministry of Environment (MoE) are responsible for the conservation of water resources and environmental issues.
- Coordination: The Technical Working Group on Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (TWG-RWSSH) has been formally established in 2007 to provide policy and strategy guidance for rural water supply, sanitation and hygiene. TWG-RWSSH, chaired by the Minister of Rural Development, consists of representatives of relevant ministries, development partners, international financial institutions and a NGO. To supplement sector coordination, the Water and Sanitation (WatSan) Sectoral Working Group, a loose coalition of water and sanitation stakeholders from government and NGOs, meets on a monthly basis.
