PHNOM PENH: The third phase of the Bakheng Water Treatment Plant, worth nearly US$250 million and with a production capacity of 195,000 cubic metres per day, will kick off in May 2024 to increase the production capacity of clean water sufficiency in Phnom Penh and Takhmao town of Kandal province.

The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) and VINCI Construction Grands Projects signed design and construction contract on April 10 under the presidency of H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation, H.E. Sim Sitha, PPWSA Board Chairman, H.E. Long Naro, Royal Government Delegate in charge of PPWSA, H.E. Jacques PELLET, French Ambassador to Cambodia, and representatives of the construction firm as well as relevant officials.

The third phase of Bakheng Water Treatment Plant project will cost US$247 million, of which US$205 million is a concession loan from the French government through the French Agency for Development (AFD) and a contribution of PPWSA of US$42 million.

The construction of the third phase of the Bakheng Water Treatment Plant project will take 36 months to complete.

H.E. Long Naro said that the third phase is to ensure the sustainability of water supply. “The Bakheng Water Treatment Plant is very important in ensuring that PPWSA's water supply reaches 100 percent by 2027 on the targeted location,” he added.

The phases 1 and 2 of Bakheng Water Treatment Plant project are currently operational, suppling piped water to residents in Phnom Penh and some parts of Takhmao town, Kandal province.

Once the third phase completed, the PPWSA will have a total production capacity of more than 1.2 million cubic metres per day.