PHNOM PENH: The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) has announced that from 2023, Phnom Penh and Takhmao will no longer lack clean water after another new water treatment plant is built.

The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority has stated that due to the increase of economic activity in Phnom Penh, the demand for clean water has exceeded the current production capacity. The demand is at about 800,000 cubic meters per day, meaning there is a shortage of clean water for distribution during high water demand, especially in the suburbs of Phnom Penh and Takhmao, since there are currently only four locations producing an average of 600,000 cubic meters of clean water per day.

In response to this issue, the Water Supply Authority is building a new water treatment plant in Bak Kheng, which can produce an additional 400,000 cubic meters of clean water per day from the beginning of 2023. The Water Supply Authority report that from 2023 onwards, it will have the capacity to produce one million cubic meters of clean water per day, closing the water shortage that that citizens have experienced in Phnom Penh and Takhmao for the past seven years.

At the same time, the Water Supply Authority has also called on people to save clean water and to share water with others, especially those living in the suburbs. This statement comes after the Water Supply Authority received complaints from residents of some suburbs over a lack of clean water, which has affected their livelihoods in recent weeks.