Building capacity for groundwater management in Cambodia: reflections from the second Thailand Groundwater Symposium

As part of the project to support the development of a groundwater management framework in Cambodia, I had the opportunity to attend the symposium alongside two Cambodian officials from the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation (DWSS). We are all part of a project to develop a groundwater management framework in Cambodia, a collaboration between the DWSS, SEI and the Asian Institute of Technology. The DWSS officials’ participation highlighted the importance of engaging in international events such as this symposium, and allowed them to learn about potential approaches to improve groundwater management efforts in Cambodia while sharing the country’s experiences.

Groundwater in Cambodia

Cambodia has a large potential groundwater resource, and it is currently used in various sectors with increasing demand, especially in domestic and agriculture, as explained by Raksa Pen of the Cambodian DWSS. He further highlighted the challenges of groundwater management in Cambodia, including the lack of a comprehensive framework, regulation, laws and up-to-date data on groundwater storage and usage. Moreover, Cambodia needs human resources, especially expertise in both the technical and management sectors, as well as public awareness and knowledge of groundwater.

The symposium offered the Cambodian DWSS officials exposure to technical and policy knowledge, as well as insight into how other countries manage their groundwater resources. It also provided information on how groundwater management has advanced elsewhere, starting from little to no regulatory framework.

Highlights from the symposium

Many experts highlighted the impact of climate change on groundwater resources. Higher rainfall variability with climate change makes surface water less reliable, so people shift to more reliable sources like groundwater. This global trend is evident in the Lower Mekong Basin, where increasing water demand and over-extraction are pushing the limit of groundwater resources. Moreover, the rise in sea level combined with depleted groundwater levels leads to a higher chance of saline water intrusion, degrading groundwater quality.

While these issues are global, they are unique and pressing in specific regions, such as the Lower Mekong Basin, where the economy and population depend heavily on agriculture. A presentation from Sinxay Vongphachanh, an agriculture and irrigation specialist from the Mekong River Commission, highlighted the importance of groundwater for agriculture in the Lower Mekong Basin. Agriculture in countries such as Cambodia and Laos significantly contributes to their GDP and employs the majority of the population, and farmers here depend heavily on groundwater. Groundwater reliability allows farmers to plan cropping effectively, enhancing productivity. Sustainable management is crucial to prevent overexploitation and ensure long-term availability, as excessive pumping can lead to aquifer depletion and environmental issues.

The evolution of groundwater management in Australia, shared by Steve Barnett, a principal hydrogeologist for the Australian Department for Environment and Water, was particularly interesting in the context of Cambodia, with insights for how to transition from unsustainable extraction to regulated and sustainable use. I found it interesting to see how serious attention was brought to groundwater management in Australia after an impact was found from the rapid development and over-extraction of groundwater. Only then was legislation introduced to areas under stress to control groundwater extraction. Then, following the UN promotion of sustainable development principles in the 1980s, the Australian government committed to adopt the sustainable development principles that now govern Australia’s groundwater resource management, the Australian National Water Initiative.