Meeting on Stung Sen Integrated Water Resources Management Committee
In the morning of May 11, 2015 at the auditorium of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (Derm Tnaout building- Kbal Thnal), H.E Lim Kean Hor, Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology, Chairman of Tonle Sap Authority, presided over the Meeting on " Integrated Water Resources Management Committee (IWRM)-Cambodia: Stung Sen River Basin Management Committee under the financial and technical support from ADB, Loire-Brittany, Rhine Meuse Water Agencies, AFD, and International Office for Water. The meeting was participated by leaders of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, Secretary Generals-Deputy Secretary Generals of Tonle Sap Authority, Cambodian Mekong Committee, Directors-Deputy Directors of the Department of Water Resources and Meteorology, Member of IWRM Stung Sen of Kompong Thom and Preah Vihear Province and related officials, in a total of 350 people. The meeting aimed to show the evolution and the achievement of the Stung Sen Integrated Water Resources Management Project, which was appointed after the election and was decided by Excellency Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology, Chairman of Tonle Sap Authority, with the participation of provinces relevant to Stung Sen of Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear Province under study assistance from the French Development Agency and the French Office of Water Resources as well as the financial support from the Asian Development Bank.
Seizing the opportunity, Minister mentioned about the water sector and irrigation system development, which has been divided into 3 major stages:
1- The Restoration Phase: as we all knew that after January 7, 1979, the end a long-running regime Khmer Rouge, Cambodia experienced famine also economic embargo that forced Cambodia to live on its own. For emergency saving the farmers, we just repaired the irrigation system to ensure that there was water for people without taking into account the technical standard;
2- The Improvement Phase: means that after the government established the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, we began to restore and improve through thorough control in order to make the irrigation system meet technical standard and build new additional irrigation system and ;
3- The Collection and Development Phase: to reach this implementation phase, it is important to know the water potential including rivers and rivers around Tonle Sap lake. To know this potential, we need to study to know how much water there is, people's need of water, the number of people, and how to manage? Then we need a thorough study. Among those water gate ways, we chose Stung Sen which has the support from the French agency and the financial support the Asian Development Bank with technical support from the French Office of Water Resources.
Minister also warned the leaders and officials to perform their work by taking permanent care in a responsible manner because we have many helpful partners with full capacities, techniques and more formula on the technical management of river basins and to implement their work without waiting for a mistake to happen as a cause to work, for they have to perform their duties based on their roles, hierarchies, and professions in order to achieve better result.
Minister recommended to the Meeting on the Process of the Stung Sen Integrated Water Resource Management Committee to take permanent care of the Joint Commission mechanism by dividing the roles, effectively performing the tasks in accordance to the roles, and paying more attention on all institutions and units who participate with the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology in accordance with defined roles and responsibilities.
After that, the meeting proceeded as planned and shared experiences in implementing Stung Sen Integrated Water Resources Management and projects under the assistance of JICA, including:
1. Understanding the identification of Stung Sen basin management and the establishment
process of the management committee of Stung Sen Basin Integrated Water Resources Management;
2. Discover the basic data of Stung Sen Basin Integrated Water Resources Management and future development;
3. Understanding of fisheries and rain water basin, ecosystems, agriculture, welfare and quality of the Stung Sen basin; and
4. Action Plan for implementation in 2015-2016.
