AKP Phnom Penh, August 14, 2025 -- The Royal Government of Cambodia has officially launched the Takhmao Water Treatment Plant and the Koh Norea Replacement Intake Station, a major boost to clean-water supply for southern Phnom Penh and Takhmao city.

The facilities were inaugurated by H.E. Vongsey Vissoth, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, and esteemed representative of Samdech Thipadei HUN Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, alongside H.E. Ueno Atsushi, Ambassador of Japan to Cambodia.

According to the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI), developed under a Special Purpose Company (SPC) model and funded through Japanese grant aid, the Takhmao plant uses Japan’s advanced technology that delivers high production capacity while requiring less land area. The facility can produce 30,000 cubic metres of clean water daily, raising the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority’s (PPWSA) total capacity to just over 1 million cubic metres per day.

Also inaugurated is the Koh Norea intake station, a PPWSA-OCIC project, aimed at restoring the impacts of the New Koh Norea Development Project on PPWSA’s Niroth Water Treatment Plant. This new US$28 million pumping station has a capacity of 460,000 cubic metres per day to supply current and future expansion of the Niroth Water Treatment Plant, serving homes, businesses, and key development zones, including the Techo International Airport area.

“These facilities will boost Cambodia’s clean-water supply, marking another step toward the ‘Clean Water for All’ initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030,” Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Vongsey Vissoth said. “This is adding to PPWSA’s efforts to supply residents of Phnom Penh and Takhmao city with clean water that meets high standards of quality, safety, and sustainability, at reasonable prices.”

“Water supply nationwide rose 72 percent, climbing from about 309 million cubic metres in 2018 to roughly 530 million cubic metres in 2024, and PPWSA accounted for about 59 percent of that increase in 2024,” Minister Hem Vanndy said. “Access to clean water networks under MISTI’s jurisdiction rose markedly, from 781,908 households in 2018 to 2,982,831 households in 2024.”

PPWSA has continued to strengthen production capacity, surpassing 1 million cubic metres per day since late 2024, and has expanded its distribution network to more than 5,000 kilometres. The Takhmao plant alone will meet the needs of about 23,000 connections, including households, businesses, and industrial zones.

Japanese Ambassador H.E. Ueno Atsushi said the project reflects the long-standing friendship between the two nations, noting that Japan’s support for Cambodia’s water sector since the 1990s has helped deliver the so-called “Miracle of Phnom Penh” in water supply services, which will now be extended to other cities and provinces.

The construction of the Takhmao Water Treatment Plant ran from March 2022 to July 2025, built by the KKKCT Consortium under the PPWSA’s supervision. It received a 3,421 million Japanese yen (about US$ 23.25 million) grant from Japan via JICA as an SPC with import duties and taxes borne by the Royal Government of Cambodia. 

AKP