AFD : New Bakheng water treatment plant marks major milestone in Cambodia's water supply development

The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority's (PPWSA) Bakheng Water Production Facilities Phase 2 was inaugurated on Tuesday along with the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 3.

New Bakheng water treatment plant marks major milestone in Cambodia's water supply development

The state-of-the-art facilities, with a production capacity of 195,000 cubic metres per day, have significantly increased PPWSA's total capacity to 982,000 cubic metres per day, according to a press release from the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MISTI).

This milestone is critical to Cambodia's Sustainable Development Goal 6 of ensuring access to safe, clean, sustainable and affordable drinking water for more than 2 million people in Phnom Penh and Ta Khmao town, it stressed.

The increasing demand for drinking water, driven by economic growth and population growth since the early 2010s, led PPWSA to double its water production capacity between 2012 and 2017. With the successful implementation of Phases 1 and 2 of the Bakheng Water Supply Project, the Third Master Plan (2016-2030) targets a production capacity of 1 million cubic metres per day. In addition, the updated Third Master Plan (2021-2030) targets a water demand of 1.8 million cubic metres per day by 2030, with the three phases of the Bakheng Water Treatment Plant playing a vital role in achieving this goal.

Phase 2, which began construction on 8 December 2021, is the largest clean water infrastructure project in Cambodia's history. After an intensive 26-month construction period, it will become operational in October 2023, increasing PPWSA's capacity by 195,000 cubic metres per day. The US$148.2 million project was primarily financed by a US$114.5 million loan from the French Development Agency (AFD), with additional funding from PPWSA and the Royal Government of Cambodia, which covered customs duties, taxes and fees.

Phase 3, which breaks ground today, will cost US$257 million, financed by a US$210 million loan from AFD, US$5 million from remaining AFD loans from Phases 1 and 2, and US$42 million from PPWSA, with an additional US$12 million EU grant. When completed, this phase will increase PPWSA's capacity by a further 195,000 cubic metres per day.

H.E. HEM Vanndy, Minister of MISTI, said: "The Royal Government of Cambodia has continued to play a strategic role in strengthening the management and development of the drinking water sector with the participation of private water operators to meet the daily needs of households and support priority areas such as industrial zones, SME clusters, SEZs and economic poles, providing employment opportunities and driving economic growth.

According to MISTI, water supply has increased by 32 per cent, from 309 million cubic metres in 2018 to 460 million cubic metres in 2023, with PPWSA producing around 279 million cubic metres of clean water, accounting for 60 per cent of the national total.

The three phases of the Bakheng Water Treatment Plant represent a total investment of US$660 million, financed by concessional loans from AFD, the European Investment Bank (EIB), European Union grants and PPWSA investments.