Background
The Apsara National Authority is responsible for managing the Angkor archaeological site and its associated drainage and flood-control infrastructure.
SIAVB operates a modern remote-controlled floodgate and storage-basin system used for flood protection in the Bièvres watershed in France.
On 19–20 May 2026, Apsara Director General Dr. Hang Pov and SIAVB Director General Hervé Cardinal held a technical meeting focused on options to adapt remote floodgate management to the Angkor hydraulic network. The two organizations discussed how a Bièvres-style remote-control model could be modified for local river and temple-canal conditions, and teams carried out on-site inspections to review connections between control-room equipment and field gate systems.
Key Developments
SIAVB presented a hydraulic management model built for the Bièvres watershed that includes remote gate control and expanded storage basins configured for urban flood protection and landscape enhancement.
Two technical units will be shipped from France to Cambodia in August 2026 for installation in the Angkor hydraulic system, as part of the cooperation outlined during the May meetings.
Site visits during the May 19–20 meetings allowed both teams to verify current equipment linkages and to assess locations for gate controllers and telemetry connections in the Angkor area.
Institutional Role
The Apsara National Authority leads heritage and site-protection measures within the Angkor park and coordinates interventions that affect temple precinct drainage and visitor areas. Apsara has operated flood-protection measures for Angkor since 2007 and for parts of Siem Reap since 2012.
SIAVB participated as a technical partner demonstrating a transferable operational model for remote floodgate and storage-basin management; the organization provided practical examples of system layout, control-room interfaces, and multipurpose basin design observed in Bièvres.
Operational Implications
Delivery and installation of the French technical units in August 2026 will enable a pilot implementation of remote gate controls within the Angkor hydraulic network.
Equipment integration will require coordination between Apsara’s site-management teams and technical installers to link field gate actuators with centralized control-room systems and telemetry; the May inspections were used to map those technical linkages and to identify equipment siting needs.
Source
Details derive from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts announcement of the May 2026 technical meetings between the Apsara National Authority and SIAVB.
