The development of water resources will play a major role in economic growth as it contributes to agricultural and industrial development, government officials said at the conclusion Wednesday of the National Workshop on Water Public Awareness and Sustainable Development at Hotel Cambodiana.
According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, it is crucial that changes in water resource management be implemented within the next 20 years if the world is to retain enough water for its growing population to survive. The World Water Council has estimated that 876 million people now need clean water, and that by 2025, almost two-thirds of the world’s population will suffer from water shortages.
In Cambodia 84 percent of the populations live in rural areas and 80 percent are farmers. Improved water resource schemes and better management of water resources will offer people improved health and the possibility of maintaining sustainable land.
“Without a lot of insistence, the government is paying impressive attention to water management,” said Steven Idding of the World Health Organization “This is crucial, because Cambodians and people in other Third World countries are facing major health risks—the primary threat being from diarrheal diseases. Children, especially, are dying as a result of consuming unclean water.”
