Background
Urban sanitation infrastructure links household connections, sewer networks, pump stations, and treatment facilities into a single public utility system. Wastewater treatment systems reduce untreated discharge by collecting sewage, moving it through sewer pipes and pump stations, and processing it before release or disposal. In fast-growing Cambodian municipalities, drainage and wastewater assets are also connected to flood-management needs because stormwater capacity affects road access, public health, and urban service reliability.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport is the central public works institution involved in Cambodia’s urban drainage, sewerage, and transport-related infrastructure implementation. A municipal wastewater project can require coordination among the implementing ministry, provincial public works authorities, finance officials, consultants, contractors, and development-finance partners. The Takhmao wastewater treatment system is designed as a city-scale infrastructure project for Kandal province, combining sewage collection, wastewater treatment, and stormwater drainage works.
Key Developments
On 7 May 2026, Ros Vanna, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and project director, led a working group to inspect project sites in Takhmao city, Kandal province. The mission reviewed April 2026 progress on the Takhmao wastewater treatment system development project.
MPWT stated that the project had reached approximately 33% overall completion by the end of April 2026. The ministry also stated that the full project is planned for completion in 2028.
Operational Implications
The project is divided into two main work packages. The first package covers construction of a wastewater treatment station using the Waste Stabilization Pond method, seven wastewater pumping stations, a sewer network totaling 125.3 kilometers, and household connection works to convey wastewater into the treatment system.
The second package covers floodwater drainage infrastructure, including stormwater drainage networks using box culverts and circular culverts along National Road 21 from the Takhmao roundabout over a distance of 5 kilometers. It also includes construction and rehabilitation of wastewater pumping stations and stormwater drainage networks in Takhmao city.
Institutional Role
The project is financed by the Economic Development Cooperation Fund of the Export-Import Bank of the Republic of Korea. Participants in the site inspection and progress review included representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Kandal Provincial Department of Public Works and Transport, project consultants Dohwa-Seoyoung Joint Venture, the construction contractor Joint Venture of KUMHO-TECHCROSS, EDCF representatives, and other relevant stakeholders.
The official source for the progress update is the Ministry of Public Works and Transport publication dated 8 May 2026: MPWT source.
