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UNESCO and Cambodian Experts Conduct Joint Field Mission to Transboundary Groundwater Project Target Areas in Prey Veng and Svay Rieng Provinces
From August 28 to 30, 2024, a collaborative field mission was conducted by UNESCO, the Ministry of Environment (MoE), and the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MoWRAM) Cambodia under the transboundary groundwater projects. The team met and discussed the status of groundwater with relevant provincial and district-level stakeholders in Svay Antor district, Prey Veng province, and Kampong Rou district, Svay Rieng province.
UNESCO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and with technical support from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, is implementing two transboundary groundwater projects. The first project, 鈥淕roundwater Resources in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Collaborative Management to Increase Climate Resilience鈥, is funded by the Adaptation Fund (ADF) for four years. This project will be implemented in Cambodia, Laos PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. Its main objective is to enhance the sustainable management and utilization of groundwater resources as an adaptation response to climate change impacts in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
The second project, 鈥淓nhancing Sustainability of the Transboundary Cambodia-Mekong River Delta Aquifer鈥, is funded by the Global Facility Fund (GEF) for five years. It is jointly led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and UNESCO as the executive entities. This project will be carried out in Cambodia and Vietnam, with the primary goal of strengthening environmental sustainability and water security in the Lower Mekong Basin.
In the first component of both projects, comprehensive groundwater resource assessments will be conducted. The GEF project will focus on evaluating the current state of groundwater resources, recharge and extraction dynamics, and groundwater dependent ecosystems, while the ADF project will assess groundwater availability, resilience potential, and collecting data on water quality and quantity. Both projects are currently in the early stages of implementation. These efforts are expected to provide a solid foundation for the subsequent phases of the projects, ultimately contributing to the sustainable management of groundwater resources in the region.
The team included technical officers from the Department of Water Quality Management, General Directorate of Environmental Protection, and the Department of Green Economy, General Directorate of Policy and Strategy under the MoE, as well as the MoWRAM. The diverse team brought together essential expertise and knowledge crucial for the comprehensive assessment of groundwater resources. The field mission is part of the first component of the two transboundary groundwater projects, implemented by UNESCO in partnership with the MoE, which serves as the focal ministry, with technical support from the MoWRAM.
The primary objectives of the field mission were to assess the current state of groundwater resources, understand recharge and extraction dynamics, evaluate groundwater-dependent ecosystems, understand groundwater quality and quantity, and explore the resilience potential of these vital resources. Additionally, the team aimed to address data gaps through data collection at the provincial administration and commune levels, ensuring the effective implementation of the groundwater governance and management for the projects. This involved debriefing provincial stakeholders on the groundwater projects, visiting and mapping out aquifer areas, and engaging with relevant stakeholders such as provincial and district administrations, communities, farmers, and NGOs. The team also focused on identifying sites of groundwater usage, making general observations of aquifer conditions, gathering pertinent data and information, and mapping relevant stakeholders and project beneficiaries to foster collaboration in project implementation.
Groundwater in Svay Antor and Kampong Rou districts is predominantly used for agricultural purposes, particularly for irrigating rice fields, which are a staple crop and a significant part of the economy. The reliance on groundwater is especially critical during the dry season when surface water from lakes and canals becomes insufficient to meet the irrigation needs. Therefore, thousands of wells are constructed in each district to pump water from the ground for the crops. However, this extensive use of groundwater has led to a decline in groundwater storage, making it increasingly difficult and costly to access this vital resource. This scarcity is further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, which include altered precipitation patterns and prolonged droughts.
During the field visit, the team met with provincial deputy governors, district governors, commune chiefs and representatives from various sectoral provincial departments, including the department of water resources and meteorology, department of environment, department of rural development, department of agriculture, forestry and fishery, department of industry, mine and energy, and department of women affairs in Prey Veng and Svay Rieng provinces. In the consultative meeting, the team debriefed the projects to local authorities and relevant stakeholders, and preliminarily gathered available data and information related to groundwater resources. This information will be used to develop a workplan and conduct assessments by expert teams in the next step of the project implementation. Following the meetings, the team conducted a field visit to a paddy field that utilizes groundwater resources. During the visit, they engaged in discussions with several farmers to understand their experiences related to groundwater usage.
