Japan provides 1.51 billion yen for flood disaster prevention in Cambodia

Signing of Notes concerning Grant Aid for the "Project for Flood Disaster Rehabilitation and Mitigation" to Cambodia 

25th April, 2012

1. On Saturday, April 21, Mr. Masafumi KUROKI, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Kingdom of Cambodia, and H.E. Mr. HOR Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia, signed and exchanged Notes concerning a grant up to 1.51 billion yen to implement the "Project for Flood Disaster Rehabilitation and Mitigation".
2. Floods had occurred in various places in Cambodia due to torrential rains which had continued since September 2011. As a result of damage to houses and buildings and sunken farmlands, more than 250 were dead while approximately 1.5 million had been affected. Moreover, approximately 17% of the entire rice-producing areas of Cambodia was stricken by the disaster. In the wake of such disaster, the Government of Japan implemented emergency support such as providing emergency assistance supplies amounting to 25 million yen (including water purifiers, plastic containers, etc.). However, for restoration and reconstruction from the damage, Cambodia needs support from international society in the future as well.
3. The grant aid is extended to implement rehabilitation and construction work for the National Road No. 5, roads and drainage system inside the City of Kampong Chhnang, and to implement construction work for eight bridges on the National Road No. 11 (replacement of six existing bridges and replacement of two culverts with bridges) for the purpose of restoration from the floods in 2011 and mitigation of future flood disaster. It is expected that the rehabilitation and construction work of roads in the City of Kampong Chhnang leads to improvement of drainage capacity through installation of drainage facilities for the roads, thus preventing floods and lowering maintenance costs of the roads. Moreover, installation of safety facilities etc. on the road ensures the safety and comfort of vehicles and pedestrians. It is expected that replacement of bridges on the National Road No. 11 such as temporary bridges and old bridges, which block the flow of the river, with new permanent bridges will lead to the lifting of load restrictions, lowering of the water level of the river, and securing of a mainline transportation route in case of floods.

[Reference] The Kingdom of Cambodia has a land area of approximately 181,000 km2, with a population of 13.4 million people (in year 2008). Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is 760 US dollars (in year 2010, according to the World Bank).
(*The foregoing is a provisional translation. The date indicated above denotes the date of issue of the original press release in Japanese.)