Regional: Greater Mekong Subregion Flood and Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Project (CAM)

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Irrigation - Rural flood protection

The Mekong River is a major influence on the lives of the people in Cambodia. Annual floods are a source of livelihood and sustenance, but extreme flood events and droughts cause widespread hardship. The costs to the countries of the Lower Mekong basin (LMB), in terms of loss of life and damage to infrastructure by floods and economic losses from both flood and drought events are significant. In Cambodia, between 1987 and 2007, 15 flood events resulted in over 1,150 deaths, disrupted the lives of over nine million persons, and when combined with losses from five drought events, caused over $465 million in damage to structures and crops. Although the annual average losses are relatively low, floods and drought events cause episodic losses as illustrated by Typhoon Ketsana in September 2009 which resulted in $132 million losses in Cambodia. Flood damage and associated losses were estimated to range from 0.30 to 0.45% of gross domestic product in 2009 in the lower Mekong basin countries.

There is a growing need for improved community preparedness to manage increasingly frequent and severe climatic extremes. Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of extreme flood events. While drought events do not result directly in deaths or structural damage, the disruption to lives and livelihoods, and the economic loss of agricultural production is substantial and limits the ability of rural communities to avoid poverty. These weather extremes illustrate the growing need for improving community preparedness to manage increasingly frequent disaster risks. Updating of infrastructure design standards will contribute to reducing the risks in Cambodia.

While many of the nonstructural problems of data, warning systems and coordination of agencies are generic to LMB countries, problems related to physical structures, including canals, drains, control structures, are site specific. Flood and drought risk management as well as building communities' resilience are identified as priorities in the national strategic development plans, sector strategies and national climate change adaptation plans.

The proposed investment is one of the flagship programs of the 2002 Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program Strategic Framework. Country agriculture and natural resources (ANR) sector assessments have confirmed drought and flood (extreme weather) events as key constraints to economies of the project countries and as contributing factors to persistent poverty in areas affected. Consequently, the proposed Project has two foci: (i) subregional activities to strengthen regional cooperation and integration (RCI) with regard to water resources management in general and flood/drought management in particular, and (ii) in country investments which combine structural and non-structural investments. Together, these will address the key subsector constraint of insufficient disaster preparedness of countries and communities to manage and mitigate the potential impacts of climate extremes.

Enhanced regional data, information, and knowledge base for the management of flood and drought

Upgraded water management infrastructure

Enhanced capacity for community-based disaster risk management

Effective project implementation

The flood forecasting models and drought tools were developed by the end of 2017 for the mainstream Mekong and Pursat Tributary basin and tested. Additional cross-sectional survey information was used to refine the Pursat hydraulic model, and field trips have been conducted to verify structural features on the landscape to refine the mainstream Mekong hydraulic model. The regression model for the mainstream Mekong was updated. Trainings on the models were conducted. A National Flood Forecasting Centre (NFFC) Web Portal for dissemination of flood and drought conditions was developed and was operational prior to the 2018 monsoon season. The forecast system was used during the 2018 and 2019 monsoon season, additional refinements to the models and model interface were made, and Department of Hydrology and River Works (DHRW) forecast staffs were provided with as-required operational support during the two monsoon seasons.

NFFC staff trained and are now operating the National Flood Forecast Center (NFFC) in Department of Hydrology and River Works (DHRW)

Twenty formal trainings have been provided to DHRW, CPMU, and DOM on hydrologic and hydrodynamic models and improved weather forecasting using global and regional modelled and satellite products, web-portals, multi-regression forecasting and SPI.

Additional training has been provided by the hydromet equipment supplier on the field instrumentation and software provided. Mentoring and on-the-job training of the DHRW-NFFC staff on the use of the improved forecasting techniques were support during the 2018 and 2019 monsoon season continued up to Aug 2019. Women represented over 40 percent of the staff trained.

Design guidelines for flood and drought mitigation have been finalized and an additional chapter on Ecosystem-based Adaptation to climate change, developed by SPCR of MOE, was added to the guideline. The design guidelines were presented and discussed at the Concluding workshop held in August 2019. The guidelines have been finalized, printed and translated into Khmer.

Contact with the ADB GMS FDRMMP Viet Nam was initiated in Q2 2017. A coordination Workshop was organized in Hanoi on 5 Nov 2018 by Viet Nam Project where a joint Action Plan at the project level was developed. The Action Plan has been agreed at the project levels of two countries (13 May 2019). The Action Plan was presented to the appropriate line ministries in both governments for consideration and for follow-up.

The technical and institutional capacity of MOWRAM to participate in transboundary initiatives has been strengthened under the activities of the National Flood forecasting Center (NFFC) component.

The Cambodian National Mekong Committee (CNMC) will use the outputs of the Project to implement the transboundary management options with Vietnam through the MRC protocol.

There were 145,811 person-days of the total unskilled workers' input, women provided 74,243 person-days of under the 5 civil works contracts (33.74%).

The achievements of GAP implementation as follows: (i) out of a total 83 members, 26 (31%) are female committee members of farmer water user community (FWUC), (ii) out of a total 350 members of 50 village disaster management groups (VDMGs)/CBDRM, 144 (41%) members are women, (iii) out of a total 750 participants, 385 (52%) women received CBDRM trainings, (iv) out of a total 10,548 unskilled labor days created, 5,223 (49%) labor days claimed by women under civil work, (v) 50 gender sensitive safer village plans developed by VDMGs in consultation with women (women made up 41% of the VDMGs members) and (vi) gender aspects are integrated into CBDRM training modules. As the project is nearing completion, the EA is requested to document the gender equality impacts both quantitative and qualitative through the sex-disaggregated end-line survey and case studies to be included in project completion report-gender appendix.

The O&M Plans prepared and adopted. FWUC members are trained.

CBDRM Training provided to 750 community

members, out of which 385 (52%) were women.

144 (41%) out of the 350 members of the 50

Village Disaster Management Groups (VDMGs)

(CBDRM committee members) are women.

Additional training included:

i) Training Need Assessment workshop on 26 May 2017, 13 women (19%) out of 69 participants

Training of Trainer, 4 out of 14 participants are female (29%)

CBDRM Training for Communities, 385 (52%) of 750 community participants are female.

ii) During Step 1 Information on FWUC formation was disseminated in 5 communes, 50 villages, 2,159 (46%) out of 4701 participants were female.

Trainings to elected FWUCs provided in Q3 2019.

iii) Extension period: Training on home gardening (vegetables) and poultry were completed in 15 villages during June and July 2019, for 184 participants including 132 women (72%) (66 women, 67%).

iv)Additional 10 women and 21 current women members of FWUC (30 women in total) trained on FWUC from 3 to 6 March 2020.

CBDRM Training for Communities, 385 (52%) of 750 community participants are female.

144 (41%) out of the 350 members of the 50

Village Disaster Management Groups (VDMGs)

(CBDRM committee members) are women.

Out of a total 83 members, 26 (31%) are female committee members of farmer water user community (FWUC).

Number of communes have been revised to 5 based on project target area. Risk profiles and Safer Village Plans of 50 target villages in 5 communes have been prepared and distributed.

50 Village Disaster Management Groups (VDMG)

(organizations) were formed in 2016-2017.

Project implementation was completed on 30 June 2021. Please also note that the statement of this indicator is not correct.

Consultation and participatory design of interventions and processes have commenced starting from the preparation and implementation of land acquisition and resettlement plans towards the technical design and implementation of subprojects, in collaboration with displaced persons and stakeholders. Consultation has also been conducted during the process of updating the resettlement planning documents and participatory monitoring tools will be used throughout the project period.

Community based disaster risk management actions were conducted in parallel to each infrastrucuture investment to ensure maximum ownership and understanding of the investments in each community. Careful communications and participatory approaches were used extensively to facilitate the develop of the capacity of each community to prepare for and recover from flood and drought events, and to manage the sustainable operation and maintenance of the infrastruture developed through the proiect.