Following are three reports from panels at the Forum Conference held in Phnom Penh in January of 1999. Additional reports can be found in previous issues of Interchange.

Water Resource Development: Economic, Environment and Resettlement Issues

Moderator: Jacquelyn Chagnon, Indochina Development Consultant,

Panelists: H.E. Mok Mareth, Minister, Cambodia Ministry of Environment

Soukata Vichit, Director General for Environmental Quality at STENO – Laos (Science and Technology Environmental Organization)

Chau Ba Loc, Vice Dean, Rural Development. Department, Can Tho University

Nicolaas van Zalinge, Chief Technical Advisor, Mekong River Commission

Mok Mareth, Cambodian Ministry for Environment

In 1996, the Cambodian Assembly ratified the Law of Environmental Protection with the support and assistance of a number of international organizations. The National Environmental Action Plan, called for in that law, addresses forest policy, fishery and agriculture in the Tonle Sap region, coastal fisheries, waste management, energy development and the environment, and biodiversity and protected areas. In addition, Cambodia participates in a number of international agreements, including the UNESCO Bio Reserves program and the ASEAN Agreement on Conservation of Natural Resources.

Environmental aspects with a potential major adverse impact on Cambodia’s water resources include:

¨ Denigration of water quality in inland and fresh water sources as a result of excess human activity and its impact on aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity;

¨ Damning and diversion of the Tonle Sap as it effects aquatic ecosystems;

¨ Increases in water borne diseases,

¨ Increased pollution from poor disposal of hazardous wastes and increased pesticide use

¨ Dry season water scarcity

In the Mekong and her tributaries, water quality has degraded, in part due to livestock farming which produces polluted waste waters. Deforestation poses another threat as communities encroach on the forest and land is cleared for farming.

Cambodia has laws and regulations designed to mitigate the effects of the above circumstances and threats to the water supply, but enforcement of these laws is hindered by the country’s limited institutional capacity and insufficient political will to enforce regulations. The task of overcoming these barriers is more than Cambodia can undertake without international support. The Ministry of the Environment needs coordination and substantial nation wide education to pursue its goals. They also need more international support for the Mekong River Agreement to help maintain responsible use and protect Mekong water resources. The Ministry also needs help with training and capacity building on smaller, regional levels, and they need experienced support on assessment and implementation strategies.

The Ministry’s specific objectives are as follows:

¨ Develop the capacity of States to develop and implement environmental policy.

¨ Formulate and implement environmental impact assessment

¨ Identify existing environmental deterioration in the Mekong River Basin and advise on and implement mitigation measures.

¨ Monitor environmental impacts of long term changes in terrestrial ecosystems

¨ Focus on environmental concerns in regional development plans

¨ Establish guidelines for the use of water and related resources and integrate social and economic considerations into use guidelines

- Develop and exchange environmental information systems

¨ Respond to unforeseen developments concerning environmental planning and management