siem reap town – The International Coordinating Committee of Angkor is scheduled today to hold its first meeting since 36 countries and 20 international organizations met in Paris in November to discuss Angkor conservation over the next 10 years.
The schedule for the two-day event includes a full day to review water management and environmental and infrastructure projects in Siem Reap province and the Angkor Archeological Park. Countries and organizations stated in Paris that development projects for the region should be discussed by the ICC since they affect Angkor.
Last week, participants in the Bayon Symposium in Siem Reap were given a preview of the problems the ICC will have to address.
During a special session Friday on water resources for Siem Reap town and the Angkor park, the lack of coordination among government agencies was apparent.
At one point, Japanese Ambassador Takahashi Fumiaki asked government organizations to decide among themselves and tell Japan what they want, since Japan has been involved in a major water management project in the area. He also pointed out that, without sufficient data, long-term plans may fail.
Uk Someth, deputy director general of Apsara Authority—the government agency managing Angkor park—made a plea for a long-term solution to the water problem in the area.
Vann Molyvann, special envoy of King Norodom Sihanouk, replied that Japan had come up with such a solution in the late 1990s, along with a grant to implement it. But since Cambodian authorities at the time wanted drinking water to be handled by a private company and the Japanese government would not fund a project benefiting private interests, the project was delayed, he said.
Siem Reap river and canals that cross the 401-square-km historical park are part of a hydraulic system starting at Phnom Kulen and ending in Tonle Sap lake. While water is one of the biggest threats to the conservation of the temples, Apsara has no authority beyond the park to address any issues that may affect it.
Experts stress that drastic changes in the underground-water level could cause the temples to sink. Therefore it is imperative to collect data on the amount of water pumped by hotels to know whether the water level is dropping, Fumiaki said.
Peng Navuth of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy said at the session that tourists use nearly four times more water than residents.