schlarry wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2023 7:12 am

Doc67 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:28 amThe bunch of bozos running the show are getting a hard lesson in the priorities ladder: long-term planning and sustainability are more important than short terms profits. Who wants to tell them?

tbf, the city has grown at such a rate over the last 5 years that I don't think any country could have kept pace

They could have refused new projects until the infrastructure was there, but then investors would have gone elsewhere

Catch 22

It was a choice. They chose short-term profits and to hell with the consequences, that's someone else's problem. Now the chickens are coming home to roost.

If you read the news on this matter, I think it mentions that they have built a large new water treatment plant to add capacity. The bottleneck apparently remains the pipeline supply system, which is still under construction. No idea if that is actually true...

Those of you losing water should inquire with your landlords, or if you own a house, simply suggest to said landlord, or you yourself install a big tank on the roof and enjoy high pressure gravity feed... Simple solution to annoying problem...

Cambodia News, (Phnom Penh): The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority has announced its investment in expanding the scope of water production in three more locations to meet the needs of the people. The three additional water treatment plants will be able to produce up to an additional 425,000 cubic meters of clean water per day, once they are all completed and are in operation.



According to the announcement, the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority has invested in expanding the water production in the following three locations: :

1. Bak Kheng Water Treatment Plant, Phase 1-2, Total Production Capacity 390,000 m3 / day

2. Takhmao Water Treatment Plant Production Capacity 30,000 m3 / day

3. Boeung Thom Water Treatment Plant Production capacity 5,000 m3 / day

Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority confirms that in the middle of 2023, they will officially inaugurate Phase 1 (out of 2) of the Bak Kheng Water Treatment Plant, with a capacity of 195,000 cubic meters a day that will help reduce the shortage of clean water in Phnom Penh and Takhmao.

Heads up !

April 6, 2023
Water supply to be temporarily cut in some districts of Phnom Penh tonight

The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority has announced that the water supply will be cut in some districts of Phnom Penh for approximately 8 hours tonight

Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority states that due to the digging and connection of 600 mm to 400 mm water pipes to increase the water pressure on National Road No. 5 Between Street 108A and Street 120R from Street 108R to Street 120R, the water supply will be suspended in: Sangkat Kilometer 6, Sangkat Chrang-Chamres I and Sangkat Chrang Chamres II, Khan Russey Keo, Phnom Penh, on the night of Thursday, April 6, 2023,

Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority will suspend the water supply for about 8 hours, from 20:00 pm to 04:00.

The PPWSA states that water may appear cloudy for a period after reconnection
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501269213/ ... h-tonight/

Bluenose wrote: ↑Wed Mar 29, 2023 8:20 am Imagine what it would be like if all the condos and apartments built in the last few years were actually fully occupied

Building with no planning whatsoever.

Doc67 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 02, 2023 8:55 amIt was a choice. They chose short-term profits and to hell with the consequences, that's someone else's problem. Now the chickens are coming home to roost.

Not unique to Cambodia by any means. How many countries have refused massive investments by demanding prerequisites? I can't think of one. I don't agree that the massive investments we've witnessed in Cambodia are only of short-term benefit. Thousands of residential and commercial buildings, factories, roads, bridges, service industries, etc.

Lets all go to Pattaya, Let's all go to Pattaya, la lar lar lar - oi - la lar lar lar

Some information about the current situation and water shortage, which I hope most of you will find useful:

1- Unlike what I read in sope posts, there is no lack of raw water. PPWSA uses water from the Mekong, Sap & Bassac rivers which are at their normal levels for this time of the year. Due to the hot and dry season, water demand reaches its yearly peak from March to May, whereas the production of the treatment plants is at its lowest because of the low level of the rivers. We can produce up to 20% beyond design capacity in rainy season, when demand is lower, but only around design capacity in dry season as the raw water pumps reach their maximum capacity. This makes the imbalance between supply and demand very acute and explains the shortages.

2- Water demand has been increasing by around 15% year-on-year over the past decade. It is extremely difficult to keep up with. The latest additional production capacity (Chamcar Mon treatment plant) was commissioned in late 2019. Therefore the production capacity has so far remained constant, while demand has increased (except during the Covid crisis). Since January 2020, we have been working on the construction of the Bakheng Water Treatment Plant, a massive project which could supply the whole city of Paris alone and will increase PPWSA's production capacity by 40%. Such projects take time. It is now under testing, and we will begin pumping water to the city in the last week of April. That will alleviate, and eventually solve, the water shortage.

3- To those lamenting the lack or deficiencies of planning. I began studying and setting up the Bakheng project in 2015. The sizing was based on water demand forecasts prepared with all available data, but without any participation from the relevant authorities - Municipality of PP, Ministry of Urban Planning & the like. We did the best we could with what we had. Even with the help of those authorities, it is not sure that the results would have been different. Cambodia is a (very) fast growing country, PP grows even faster and urbanization / construction projects are being undertaken on an opportunistic basis without any time for proper concertation, coordination & planning. PPWSA is on the receiving end and is requested to supply water to condos, boreys and new areas without having been consulted in the first place. This is what happens in fast-developing countries. I am not complaining about it. Things will get (and are already getting) better, like in most developing countries that have been through similar fast growth periods.

4- PPWSA is an independent authority. It does not live off government subsidies, but only from the proceeds of water sales. We have a very thin rope to walk when planning new infrastructure: if oversized, it will cost a lot without generating the expecting revenue, will be impossible to pay back and will cripple the company's sustainability for a long time; if undersized, there will be a shortage of water while waiting for the next project to be completed, but it will be easily repaid. It is impossible to be right. However, the former situation has long-term consequences, while the latter only has a short-term impact and can be easily reversed; it is therefore preferrable. Another key driver of investments sustainability is the water tariff, which is 100% politically controlled. Authorities are reluctant to increase the tariff in a way which would give PPWSA sufficient leeway to invest even more massively. It is extremely difficult to juggle with all that.

5- Finally, for those comparing water and power supply. Unlike power, water cannot be generated anywhere, and cannot be transported over long distances without high energy losses. Besides, the transmission infrastructure involves heavy, long and costly works for pipelines installation, whereas power lines construction is much more flexible. Local shortages cannot be compensated by over-production in another location. Unlike power, we cannot import drinking water from Vietnam, Laos or Thailand to supply thirsty Phnom Penh.

All in all, the current water shortage is above all the result of an insane urban growth which is very difficult to follow, considering that the time frame for a water supply project (from feasibility to commissioning) is around 8 years. The good news is that it will get progressively solved after Khmer New Year.

Sorry for the long post, and hope it puts things in perspective for those of you affected by the shortage.

That's it!
The Bakheng Water Treatment Plant has been gradually connected to the network. Since this morning, it has been running at almost full capacity, adding 200 000 m3/day - or almost 30% - to the city's water supply. Over the past few days we gradually connected the pipelines shown on this map, with diameters ranging from 2m (outlet of treatment plant) to 0.5m (final connections to existing network).


The northern areas (Russei Keo, Sen Sok) already have much better pressure, we hope that the effect will be felt too in the west and the south in the coming days.

Many people are complaining about murky water coming out of the tap. To cut it short: it is not rust, it is not heavy metals, it is just remains of mud. Many apologies for the inconvenience which, luckily, will not last.

I need to explain the process of pipeline construction to explain why this happens. Due to the nature of PP's ground (silty clay, high water table), workers often have to install pipes in deep trenches in presence of groundwater. It is not always possible to properly dewater the trenches without causing a risk of collapse, either of the trench, or of the adjacent ground (usually houses or roads). Sometimes the trench is dry, but following backfill, groundwater comes back and can enter the pipeline under construction through one of its ends. Finally, during intense storms, runoff water enters the trenches and therefore the pipe. It is extremely difficult to complete a pipe construction without ingress of groundwater mixed with soil, aka mud. This photo will give you an idea of the pipe laying conditions.


When a pipeline is completed, it is first emptied of anything it contains through washout valves placed at the low points. When the pipe is ready for operation (sometimes several months later), it is first filled and pressure-tested. It is then drained and filled again. During that operation, a massive amount of chlorine (I mean, really massive) is added to make sure the pipe is thoroughly disinfected. The pipe is flushed once again, then filled and flushed again until the turbidity and chlorine content of the drained water are within acceptable standards. Flushing is done through the washout valves, usually 0.2 to 0.3m diameter, therefore at a low flow.

However, it can happen mud has dried and sticks to the walls, and is not removed by the above operations. This concerns especially the smaller diameter pipes (<1.4m), since all larger pipes are cleaned manually by workers and inspected prior to watering. Those patches are only removed by the velocity of water, when it is enough to "scratch" the patch out. Therefore, despite all precautions taken, it causes the water to become murky for a while, until all the dirt is eliminated.

You may ask, why is it not possible to perform this operation prior to putting the pipe in operation? The answer is simple: because you need a high water velocity, around 1m/s, for several hours, for it to happen. To give an example, the pipe running in front of Aeon2 is 1.2m in diameter. That velocity represents a flow of 1.1 m3 every second, or one olympic swimming pool every 35 minutes. We simply cannot (i) find an outlet for that water, and (ii) dispose of it properly. That is why many residents, especially in Sen Sok, now have a murky water on the tap. It will improve gradually and we will make sure the chlorine content remains high to prevent any risk of pathogens growth.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused, which we know is deeply unpleasant. Believe me, dozens of chaps really did their best and worked like dogs over the past few weeks to bring water to the city!