The "Miracle of Phnom Penh": Seminar on Water Supply Reform in Cambodia

The only places in Asia where safe drinking water can be obtained just by turning on a tap are Japan, Singapore, and Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh began tackling water supply reform in 1993 before the scars of years of civil war had healed. In just 15 years, the government had succeeded in providing almost all of the capital's population of more than one million with a safe and stable water supply at a low cost. This achievement was viewed with both astonishment and admiration by the rest of the world, and became referred to as the "miracle of Phnom Penh".

In his opening remarks, JICA-RI Director Ichiro Tambo explained that the book conducts multi-faceted analysis of specific examples of capacity development, describes the leadership and management processes, and also provides universal clues on management. "Today's seminar is a valuable opportunity to hear the first-hand experiences of the experts who played key roles in the development, and gain a solid understanding of the overall image of the miracle of Phnom Penh", he stated.

Another one of the authors, JICA Visiting Senior Advisor Kyoko Kuwajima, then spoke about General Director Ek Sonn Chan's leadership, and the reform in the initial stages. Prior to the reform, water supply facilities in Phnom Penh deteriorated badly during the civil war that continued through the 1970s, and water supply capacity plunged to about 40%. On top of this, black-market sales of water, illegal connections and diversions, and other forms of systematic corruption had become the norm, while leakage and water theft was widespread. The vast majority of residents had no access to water supply, and bought their water from water sellers and people in the neighborhood at prices 6-20 times the normal price. She explained that against this backdrop, Ek Sonn Chan, who was appointed Director of the then Water Bureau, embarked on a course of reform with support from international organizations in which he restored discipline, assembled a young team with shared aspirations, and formed a new relationship with users.

Water distribution blocks and a water distribution monitoring system were established to determine where leaks and water theft were occurring, and under General Director Ek Sonn Chan's leadership, water theft was exposed, and corruption was eliminated. Today, only 6% of water distributed in Phnom Penh does not generate revenue, which is lower than the corresponding rate of 8% in Kitakyushu City. Reflecting on the "miracle of Phnom Penh", Mr. Kubota said "This was achieved through the tireless efforts of individual government employees under the strong leadership of General Director Ek Sonn Chan."

The seminar finished with a question and answer session, and among the questions from the floor were "Are projects affected by the personalities of the leaders?," "Do traditional lifestyles in rural areas change with the introduction of water supply and wastewater facilities?," and "What were the factors that made water reform possible in the 1990s?"