Background
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) leads national coordination on public infrastructure matters that include non-sewered sanitation systems, and the ministry engaged international and national partners to develop technical guidance for those systems. The signing ceremony on 28 August 2026 in Phnom Penh formalized a technical cooperation to produce national-level guidance for decentralized wastewater treatment systems.
The technical cooperation project will develop national technical guidelines for decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) and establish a DEWATS Quality Management System (DEWATS-QMS) to manage quality across the life cycle of these systems. The project is scheduled from 2026 to 2028 and includes legal and policy review, technical specification setting, design and construction guidance, operation and maintenance procedures, training, validation, and dissemination for national and subnational implementation.
Key Developments
On 28 August 2026 MPWT officials and representatives from partner ministries and development organisations attended the signing of the technical cooperation agreement between MPWT’s directorate responsible for decentralized wastewater systems and BORDA. The agreement also launched an opening workshop for the DEWATS technical-guidelines and quality-management initiative.
Policy Context
The project includes consultation with multiple ministries, explicitly involving the ministries of Environment, Interior, Health, and Rural Development, alongside MPWT leadership and representatives from development partners. Activities described in the cooperation plan cover review of legal and policy frameworks, identification of applicable standards, and procedures needed to enable national and subnational implementation of DEWATS.
Institutional Role
BORDA and MPWT will collaborate to create both technical reference documents and an operational quality-management mechanism intended for use by national authorities and implementing agencies. The cooperation positions MPWT and its directorate as the convening institution for DEWATS technical standards and quality assurance, while development partners and sector actors are expected to support validation, training, and dissemination.
