As the country grows economically, more and more people gravitate towards urban centers in provinces such as Phnom Penh, Kandal, Prey Veng, and Takeo. The resulting higher quantities of untreated urban domestic sewage, industrial effluent and solid waste are polluting surface and ground water in many of Cambodia’s cities and towns. Throughout the country, sewerage system coverage is limited and/or no longer functioning, resulting in increased health risks to urban and peri-urban populations, including higher incidences of diarrhea and cholera.
In addition, the growth of unplanned settlements outside of Phnom Penh is increasing pressure on the city’s existing wastewater infrastructure and the system of natural drainage, which to date has served as the traditional environmental safeguard against flooding. Many flood protection sleeves have been occupied by migrants, restricting water flows and compounding the sanitation problem.
The disposal of hazardous (mostly industrial) waste is also a growing problem in Phnom Penh. There are no special landfills or other treatment facilities for toxic, hazardous or medical waste, which is often burned at open dumpsites, together with solid waste.
The World Bank’s principal initiative in this area is the Provincial and Peri-Urban Water and Sanitation Project. It is financing water supply systems in provincial towns and districts, public toilets (in schools, markets, and hospitals), household toilets, soak-away pits for septic tank effluent and wastewater disposal. Assistance to prepare a wastewater strategy and master plan for Phnom Penh and a possible follow-up wastewater management project is under discussion.
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