Your Venerable Buddhist Monks,
Your Excellency, Shyam P. Bajpai, Country Director, Cambodia Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank,
Your Excellencies, Members of Parliament, Senate and Royal Government of Cambodia,
Your Excellencies Ambassadors,
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our Beloved Citizen!
Today, I am most delighted to join you all at this inauguration of the waste water treatment and sewage system in Sihanoukville, which was financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan. This is indeed signifying another important milestone in our nation’s development process especially in basic infrastructure.
I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the government and people of Cambodia, to kindly request H.E. SHYAM P. BAJPAI, Country Director, Cambodia Resident Mission of the Asian Development Bank, to convey our profound gratitude to the management and all the creditors of the Asian Development Bank, for their continuous support provided to the Royal Government of Cambodia and its people since 1993 for the rehabilitation and development of our economic and social structures through improving national infrastructure in various sectors particularly in transport sector. The ADB provided a loan of USD 11.19 millions for the construction of this waste water treatment and sewage system here in the Sihanoukville. Moreover, I would like to highly appreciate the management, civil servants, staff and workers of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, as well as those of other concerned agencies including the local authority of Sihanoukville for their efforts in managing project and for the corporation in achieving this landmark achievement.
This waste water treatment and sewage system is an important infrastructure, helping promote economic growth and social development, uphold our country image in terms of environmental protection and attract investments into various sectors of Sihanoukville, a biggest commercial, agro-industry and tourism city in Cambodia. Thus, I am convinced that this achievement will indeed contribute to an increasing role of Sihanoukville as one of Cambodia’s economic triangles (Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville – Siem Reap), and as major development partners consider it as a potential west economic corridor.
Sihanoukville is now experiencing an increase in investments in all sectors including tourism and population growth, which has led to a rapid expansion of public and residential buildings, hotels, factories and other constructions that need to be supported by this good waste water treatment and sewage system.
To build such an infrastructure presents a technical and administrative challenge in ensuring effective functioning of the system that entails greater responsibility and consideration for the interest of our whole nation. Thus, I would like to request the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, who is in charge of the construction of this waste water treatment and sewage system, to manage the system effectively by ensuring a high level of transparency and accountability. As the management will be semi-autonomous, ensuring good governance is important in all aspects of its operations such as technical, commercial and administrative accountability.
Moreover, I would encourage and support the Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s efforts in building such infrastructure in other provinces and cities. This will help facilitate the development of economic and tourist potentials, particularly focusing on Siem Reap where tourism sector and investments in hotels are expanding rapidly. In this regard, I would like to make a request to H.E. SHYAM P. BAJPAI, Country Director, Cambodia Resident Mission of the Asian Development Bank, to make soonest consideration of our proposal and provide funding for the construction of waste water treatment in Siem Reap. I would like also to congratulate and fully support the initiative of turning the already treated water to be used for agricultural purposes. Hence, I would like to encourage the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to closely cooperate with the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology and the Ministry of Environment in order to come up with options and find ways so that the treated water can be turned into good use for agricultural purposes through the irrigation system.
The waste water treatment and sewage infrastructure is constructed to protect the well-being of people, animals and plants, which is an obligation that should not be overlooked and must be in progress in line with developments in other sectors across the country with particular focus on potential provinces and municipalities. It should go hand in hand with the Royal Government’s efforts in rehabilitating and developing the dynamic infrastructure under the cooperation and support from donor communities and agencies, including the ADB as well as the active participation from all the concerned ministries and institutions, local authority at all levels, workers, employees and all the citizens across the country.
In order to keep the momentum of political stability and long-lasting peace for the whole country, we must continue to advance on our reforms in all sectors, in order to strengthen good governance toward promoting economic growth and social development, especially promoting the establishment of multiple transportation systems in the potential regions such as the Sihanoukville, where the Ministry of Public Works and Transport has been trying to build and repair the road links from all regions across the country including the National road No. 4, No. 3, No. 48, and roads within this town. Moreover, the construction of the Kang Keng Airport is due to start in the near future and the improvement of railways is ongoing, to be financed by the loan from ADB.
Besides, the construction of the Sihanoukville autonomous port is in good and steady progress, because it is being carried out with the same objective of increasing trade-related activities and facilitating the developments in industry, agriculture, tourism, education and health sectors and promoting employment, thus increasing incomes for the people which leads to enhancing their living standards and achieving rapid poverty reduction.
To meet all these objectives and for the bright future of Cambodia, I would like to appeal to all the ministries and institutions of the Royal Government, local authorities and all the citizens to make their utmost efforts in fulfilling their duties and intensifying cooperation with one another transparently and effectively, in order to improve the transport infrastructure along with the operations of this waste water treatment and sewage system to increase the confidence of consumers, international and national investors and all the donors in our determination to rehabilitate and develop the country.
Once again, I would like to appreciate the efforts made by all concerned ministries and institutions and the local authority at all levels for their cooperation in securing the success of this waste water treatment project in Sihanoukville. I would like also to congratulate the Hyundai Engineering Co. Ltd, the Hyundai Mobis company of Korea and the Seng Enterprise Co. Ltd, of Cambodia as well as the technical consultants of Nippon Jogesuido Sekkei Co. Ltd, of Japan in cooperation with the technical consultants of Sheladia of the United States of America and the Sawac company of Cambodia for their contribution and determination to the success of this project ensuring high quality and technical specifications, and the completion of the project as scheduled.
Finally, I would like to wish Your Venerable Monks, Excellencies, Ladies, and Gentlemen, and our Beloved Citizens with the Five Gems of Buddhist Blessings. May I now announce the official opening of this waste water treatment and sewage system in Sihanoukville.
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