Water quality decline and relevant harmful impact to floating communities in Chhnk True Area, 2002

Chhnok True is the area which connects to Tonle Sap Great Lake through Tonle Sap River. There are many human activities in the area, including crowded floating houses and numerous activities for businesses, fisheries, aquaculture, and navigation

The solid and liquid wastes were directly discharged into watercourse, although the environmental law and related statutes were entered into force. The Chhnok True floating community did not have a dumping site, and therefore they can not help discharging solid waste/garbage and wastewater into the surrounding water-body. Such a situation caused serious problems, such as serious water quality degradation in Chhnok True and in adjacent areas in dry season without enough water flow to saturate these wastes. On the other hand, no problem is observed in the rainy season when water flow have tremendous amount to flood these areas. This case shows a gap in different areas of environmental management.

Picture 1: Machinery workshop in the Chhnok True floating Community (Pictured by MOE 2002)

Picture 2: Floating communities in Chhnok True Area (Pictured by MOE 2002)

Policy response

Facing the lack of experienced staff and related analytical facilities, the senior officers of the Environmental Department of Kampong Chhnang Province asked the Ministry of Environment for assistance in taking actions to conserve the water quality in Chhnok True area in May 2002.

Responding to this request, the Ministry of Environment assigned experienced staff to survey and assess the suffering area in June 2002. The results of the water sample analysis indicated that the values of BOD and coliform were higher than the national standard. The result is enough to conclude that water quality in Chhnok True area in the dry season was commonly declined.

Based on the water pollution assessment, the Ministry of Environment issued an official letter to the Governor of Kampong Chhnang Province to take effective actions to manage water environment in Chhnok True area such as:

- Public awareness-raising through educational campaigns and dissemination activities regarding health risks and hazards.
- Any types of solid wastes should be collected by a private company and/or by a solid waste management association to be established, in order to solve the problem in the context of the sound environment. It is suggested that the solid waste and garbage should be managed in environmentally sound way, such as proper collection and transport to a high-land dumpsite, and waste collector and/or responsible community/association should take responsibility of the duty.
- Potential source of risk/hazard to the water environment and human health, e.g. machinery workshops, fuel oil stations, should be moved to the areas where the wastes are easily managed.

In addition, the National Environmental Conference in 2004 also gave a recommendation to the Governor towards proper solid waste management in the Chhnok True community.

Table1 : Analytical results of water samples in Chhnok True area

References

• Report of officer of the Ministry of Environment towards the survey in Chhnok True floating communities, 2002
• MoE’s official letter to the Governor of Kampong Chhnang for strengthening and improving the management of solid wastes in Chhnok True area, 2002
• MoE’s official letter to the Governor of Kampong Chhnang for strengthening and improving the management of solid wastes in Chhnok True area 2005
• National Environmental Conference’s Report 2004, Ministry of Environment

Data and information as indicated in the Section of Background was provided by senior officers of the Environmental Provincial Departments, and some parts of them were quoted from documents of which printed for general dissemination.

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