The Ministry of Public Works and Transport is asking the Mekong River Commission for roughly $10 million to pay for a canal to be dug through the Tonle Sap lake because its water level is so low that speedboats are unable to travel between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, the director general of Phnom Penh Port said Monday.
The proposed canal would be 60 meters wide, 2 meters deep and about 106 km long, Hei Bavy said, adding that it would run through to the Chong Phneas area of Siem Reap province.
“The canal is necessary for boat business and for fish stock in the lake,” he said. “It is time to dig a canal.”
If the government and the MRC commit to the canal, it could be in operation by 2007, he said.
The Asian Development Bank and the government are also planning to build a $30 million port for tourist boats in Chong Phneas, he said.
Sun Chanthol, Minister of Public Works and Transport, visited the lake last week with a MRC official to see how shallow it was, Hei Bavy said.
“The MRC official saw our problem, and hopefully he will write a report to the head of the MRC and hopefully they will consider this important project,” he said.
Speed boat companies said Monday that they have had to suspend their operations from March to mid-June because of the plunging water levels of the Tonle Sap.
“Within several months my company loses about $3,000,” said Kim Sen, owner of the Chann Na Speed Boat Co.
“We are waiting for the rainy season. It is too shallow now, we can’t do business,” she said.
She also voiced concerns that bus and taxi firms are proving more attractive than the speedboats, as they are considerably cheaper.
The speedboats charge foreign tourists $25 each to get to Siem Reap, while buses charge only $4.