Background
Ministry of Environment inspection teams perform compliance checks on reported effluent discharges and collect water samples for laboratory analysis. The ministry’s Directorate of Environmental Protection and provincial environment offices conduct on-site investigations of suspected pollution incidents to verify permit conditions and measured parameters.
The KICYN (Cambodia) garment-washing facility at Koh Khnor village, Prek Roka commune, Kandal Stung district reported operating 38 washing machines, 41 dryers and 7 boilers, and treating final effluent using PAC, NaOH, PAM, soda ash and aeration prior to discharge. Initial on-site instrument readings at the facility outlet recorded pH = 7.94, which falls within the laboratory standard range cited in the inspection report (5.5 < pH < 9).
Scope of Application
The ministry’s measures and inspection applied directly to KICYN (Cambodia) Co., Ltd, a textile/laundry-processing facility discharging to the Batheay River in Kandal Stung district. The action also reflects routine oversight applied to industrial dischargers with permitted effluent outlets and automatic water-quality monitoring installed under national permitting requirements.
Key Provisions or Decisions
- Inspection team led by the Directorate of Environmental Protection and Kandal provincial environment staff conducted a site visit after reports of suspected liquid waste discharge on 27 July 2026.
- Inspectors observed foaming and an acidic/odorous effluent stream in the final treatment channel and collected one water sample at the final outlet for laboratory analysis by the ministry’s testing laboratory.
- The ministry suspended any direct discharge of liquid waste into the Batheay River until the facility can demonstrate proper technical treatment prior to release.
- The facility presented an IEIA report and a discharge permit and had installed automatic water-quality monitoring; the inspection’s on-site instrument measurement showed pH = 7.94, a value reported as within the cited pH range of 5.5–9.
- The ministry stated the company will be held legally responsible if subsequent laboratory testing shows discharge parameters exceeding permitted limits.
Implications for Investors, Businesses, or Compliance
Permitted textile processors and similar industrial operators must maintain functioning treatment systems and accessible monitoring records to demonstrate compliance during provincial and national inspections. Companies should ensure field sampling and laboratory verification data are retained and available to regulators because legal liability is contingent on confirmed exceedances from laboratory analysis rather than solely on on-site instrument readings. Investors and operators in the garment-washing sector should account for ongoing compliance costs tied to chemical treatment, automatic monitoring equipment, and the potential operational restrictions that can follow a pollution complaint or inspection.
Official Source
Source: Ministry of Environment Facebook post by the Ministry of Environment (Cambodia), 28 July 2026: https://www.facebook.com/MinistryOfEnvironmentCambodia/posts/pfbid03vDGF6GYdJzdDm5LN6kJ1Mq76t5diRjpV1VTYBPbAUyAkbzdixm6CF4BDNaWyiVfl
