New water pumping station is ‘70% done’

Construction takes place on the Boeung Trabek pumping station in southern Phnom Penh yesterday. Hong Menea

New water pumping station is ‘70% done’

Wed, 25 May 2016 ppp

Sen David

Workers are labouring day and night to build a new pumping station at the Boeung Trabek reservoir to relieve the capital’s flood risk ahead of the rainy season, city authorities said yesterday.

Construction started in early 2015, and yesterday Phnom Penh Governor Pa Socheatvong announced the station was 70 per cent complete.

“We hope that from August, the areas in Chamkarmon district, Prampi Makara district and Daun Penh district will not face floods as before” thanks to the 11 pumps with a capacity to displace 23.3 cubic metres of water per second, three times the volume of the old station.

Crowd-sourced mapping of the city’s flooding in 2014 indicated that those three districts, as well as Sen Sok, were particularly prone to flooding.

“We are urging the construction workers to finish for the upcoming rainy season. Now it’s nearly finished,” said City Hall spokesman Mean Chanyada.

Chamkarmon resident Sin Sitha welcomed the news that the city might be better prepared for the upcoming rainy season.

“Now we heard from governor today that the new station will reduce the flood in three districts, we are appreciative,” he said.

“Still, we are waiting to see if the results will be as the governor declared or not.”

Daun Penh resident Chan Sokhum said: “I live near Phsar Kandal. Every year, when the big rains come, the flood nearly comes up above my leg . . . We hope that this year is not as bad as before due to the station.”