Background
The MOWRAM-JICA rehabilitation project targets peri-urban irrigation and drainage infrastructure that supports rice cultivation around Phnom Penh, with construction work initiated on 13 June 2023. The project is designed to supply irrigation to approximately 20,000 hectares of agricultural land and to benefit 7,925 households.
Project works include repair or construction of main and secondary canals, concrete headworks and regulators, small embankments, diversion structures, bridges, and associated civil works across Kompong Speu, Kandal and Takeo provinces. Implementing agencies report a progress rate of about 99% as of early August 2026, and project documents cite an anticipated increase in rice yields from about 2.20 to 3.80 tons per hectare for the beneficiary areas.
Key Developments
On 4 August 2026, Minister Thao Jedtha of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology conducted an on-site inspection of the rehabilitation works in Kompong Speu, Kandal and Takeo provinces and commended the achieved progress. The minister urged the contractor to maintain technical quality and workplace safety and requested continued cooperation from all stakeholders to complete the remaining tasks on schedule.
Main subprojects include: (1) Kompong Speu alignment works covering Chbar Mon and Samraong Tong districts, with repair of one canal headwork, two inlet structures, a northern main canal of 11.70 km and a southern main canal of 12.60 km, plus 49 secondary regulators totaling 26.7 km and 207 associated structures; and (2) the Kandol Stung–Bati subproject spanning Kandal and Takeo provinces with a small embankment of 9.40 km, a 4.0 km concrete main canal, two diversion structures, five bridges, 11 drainage structures, three intake structures, and one water retention bund at Kampong Dangkao, plus 33 associated works.
Institutional Role
The project is financed by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and is implemented under MOWRAM’s oversight for water-resource rehabilitation and flood/drainage management. MOWRAM is the national authority responsible for coordination of water infrastructure projects and technical standards for irrigation and drainage systems.
Operational Implications
The rehabilitation is intended to restore reliable irrigation and drainage capacity across the project command area, improving water control for rice production and reducing flood and drainage constraints in the peri-urban agricultural zone. The reported extension of irrigated area and the projected rise in rice yields are material operational outcomes for local farming systems and water management planning in the affected provinces.
Source
Primary source: Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM) Facebook post, 4 August 2026; project start date reported as 13 June 2023 and progress reported at approximately 99% complete.
