His Excellency Thor Chetha, Senior Minister and Chairman of the Tonle Sap Authority, Hosts a Courtesy Meeting and Working Discussion with His Excellency Li Guoying, Minister of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China
On the morning of Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Tonle Sap Authority, His Excellency Thor Chetha, Senior Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology and Chairman of the Tonle Sap Authority, hosted a courtesy meeting and working discussion with His Excellency Li Guoying, Minister of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China, and his accompanying delegation. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, the National Mekong Committee of Cambodia, the Deputy Secretary-General, Deputy Secretaries-General, and technical officials of the Tonle Sap Authority.
On this occasion, His Excellency the Chairman of the Tonle Sap Authority warmly welcomed His Excellency Li Guoying, Minister of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China, and his delegation, who came to learn firsthand about the Tonle Sap Authority. His Excellency also briefed the delegation on the Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, which provides significant benefits to human, animal, and plant life, including fisheries, biodiversity, flooded forests, and serves as a smart reservoir for irrigation and flood mitigation from the Mekong River. Currently, the Royal Government has implemented continuous measures to protect the Tonle Sap Lake for long-term sustainability, as the lake has been and continues to face severe impacts from human activities and climate change, leading to the degradation of its ecosystem.
In addition, His Excellency the Chairman of the Tonle Sap Authority informed His Excellency the Minister of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China about the needs of the Tonle Sap Authority, including continued strong support for long-term cooperation between the Tonle Sap Authority and the Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China. This includes technical assistance and human resource training for the Secretariat of the Tonle Sap Authority to enhance capacity in equipment maintenance, technical monitoring, flood and drought management, water resource management, water quality control, and sustainable management of the Tonle Sap Lake. This ensures the preservation of natural resources, biodiversity, and the ecosystem of the Tonle Sap Lake, as well as the sharing of experiences through study tours in the People's Republic of China in the future.
Please be informed that His Excellency the Minister of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China led the delegation to inspect the Master Station for receiving hydrological and meteorological data from each station. The delegation also continued to learn about the significance of the Tonle Sap Lake, the livelihoods of people living around the lake in the Chhnok Tru area, and the hydrological and meteorological station (QR. V-ADCP) located in Kampong Thkov Commune, Kralanh District, Siem Reap Province. This station is part of the joint technical cooperation project on the pilot study of hydrological observation and data transmission technology for the Tonle Sap Basin in Cambodia, which began implementation in 2022 with technical support from the Nanjing Research Institute of Hydrology and Water Conservation Automation (NIHWA).
