Water

Pilot and Demonstration Activities
Piloting a River Basin Approach toward Integrated Water Resources Management

With its new Water Resources Law passed in May 2007, Cambodia has begun implementing a river basin approach to its water resources planning and management. However, 2 agencies— Cambodia National Mekong Committee (CNMC) and Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM)—share the mandate for river basin planning, and questions arise as to which agency should manage the process.

Also, the present skills level in central and provincial agencies vis-à-vis IWRM is in badly in need of upgrading. This is where the idea for a small pilot project to introduce IWRM comes in, with fewer stakeholders involved unlike in the more complex ADB-supported Tonle Sap Initiative.

In May-June 2007, a “Functional Water Partnership” for the four sub-basins of Prek Preah, Prek Krieng, Prek Kampi and Prek Te was established through an IWRM demonstration project sponsored by the Global Water Partnership (GWP). The Functional Water Partnership is a network of focal points for dialogue. The project aimed to describe the potential for an IWRM-based approach to water-related development at the river basin level, as well as the advantages of public participation.

This PDA will build upon the IWRM achievements of the Functional Water Partnership network. It will also strengthen Cambodia’s IWRM capacity, particularly in establishing better coordination between CNMC and MOWRAM in formulating a river basin approach across two provinces and introducing a range of community participation and awareness-raising approaches. It will contribute to the broader objectives set by the Mekong Water Resources Partnership Program (MWARP) between ADB and the World Bank.

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The objectives of the PDA are:

• Develop appropriate river basin management institutional arrangements, in conjunction with provincial and district administrations
• Undertake resource assessments and scenario analyses relating to medium- to long-term IWRM planning for the Prek Preah, Prek Krieng, Prek Kampi, and Prek Te sub-basins
• Increase awareness among provincial and district administrations and community stakeholders of the implications and benefits of good water governance, good IWRM practices, and inter-agency collaboration
• Provide guidance for future investments and development efforts relating to water management and service delivery

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• Midterm Report (March 2008) [PDF]
• Inception Report (December 2007) [PDF]
• Proposal (October 2007) [PDF]