The Clean Water Management Law of the Kingdom of Cambodia was promulgated on March 11, 2023, marking the first time in the world that a water law has been developed with JICA’s cooperation. The Cambodian Water Supply Law establishes a framework for improving the standard of living and public welfare of all Cambodian people through the provision of clean, safe, and stable water supply services at appropriate rates.
The fact that the Cambodian government asked JICA to provide support for the fundamental administrative task of establishing a basic law on water supply is a testament to the relationship of trust that both parties have built through years of cooperation. This was made possible by the persistent cooperation of JICA experts, who were dispatched on an ongoing basis with the cooperation of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Kitakyushu Water Supply and Sewerage Bureau, the Japan Waterworks Association, and universities and research institutes.
Under the “Water Utility Human Resource Development Project (Phase 1 – Phase 3)” (2003-2018), we supported the human resource development of the Phnom Penh Water Supply Corporation and other Cambodian water utilities and water supply authorities in provincial cities. In particular, the Phnom Penh Waterworks Public Company achieved dramatic improvements in water supply services and water utility management, and has been called the “Miracle of Phnom Penh. Other waterworks corporations and waterworks authorities have also returned to profitability, and Cambodia’s water supply services have greatly improved. Based on these achievements, JICA is implementing the “Water Supply Administration Management Capacity Improvement Project” (2018-2023) to strengthen overall water supply administration, including the legal system and regulations, and is cooperating with the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, which has jurisdiction over water supply administration, in human resource development.
An attempt to formulate a water supply law was made in 2004 with the support of development partners, but it was not well received by Cambodian society at the time and was not approved by the National Assembly. Since then, the number of private water utilities, large and small, including family-run enterprises, has increased rapidly without a basic framework for safe, stable, and affordable water supply services and water supply administration.
In response to strong expectations from the Cambodian side, JICA began cooperating in the formulation of a water supply law in 2014. The law was drafted in Khmer so that it would fit the language and sensibilities of the Cambodian people, and English translations of the Khmer text were used in discussions with Japanese experts. We also provided various forms of cooperation, including advice from legal experts contracted by a local law firm, provision of information comparing water supply laws in Asian countries, advice with reference to the Japanese Water Supply Law (promulgated in 1957) with support from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Kitakyushu City Water Supply and Sewerage Bureau, and the Japan Waterworks Association, and collection and reflection of a wide range of opinions from concerned parties in the draft law. The committee also provided various assistance in gathering a wide range of opinions from interested parties and incorporating them into the bill.
Thus, a draft of the Water Supply Law was prepared in 2017, and after inter-ministerial coordination and deliberations in the Legislative Council, it has now been promulgated. The Minister of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation reported that “this bill, prepared with the support of JICA, is an important first law in the water supply sector. Prime Minister Hun Sen also expressed his deep appreciation to the Japanese government and people for always being there for Cambodia’s development.
JICA will continue to cooperate in capacity building of stakeholders in the water supply sector in Cambodia, aiming for the day when all people in Cambodia can enjoy clean water and safe and stable water supply services at appropriate rates, in accordance with the principles and provisions of the Water Supply Law.
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