Hun Sen Talks About Weather On Water Day

In a gathering to celebrate World Day for Water, Prime Min­­ister Hun Sen on Wed­nes­day urged broadcast media to air local weather forecasts rather than reporting the weather predictions for foreign countries.

“The fishermen very much want to know about the weather forecasts and so do the tourists,” Hun Sen said at a ceremony held at Hotel Le Royal. “We want to know whether it will rain or not.”

He also said meteorologists need to be well equipped to accurately predict the weather. Min­istry of Water Resources officials have complained that they have either poor equipment or lack resources to properly do their jobs. Accurate predictions would help Cambodia respond faster to natural disasters such as floods.

World Day for Water prom­otes awareness about the conservation and development of water resources. Like many developing countries, Cambodia is plagued by inadequate water networks, lack of safe drinking supplies, and lack of proper water management.

In 2020, Cambodia will need up to 35 billion cubic meters more than current resources to ad­equately supply the country for agriculture and industry, Hun Sen said.

Etienne Clement, representative of the UN Economic, Social and Cultural Organization, said Cambodia should pay more attention to the country’s water supply rather than leave such an examination to a crisis.

“A crisis of tomorrow can be avoided if we tackle existing water and environmental issues now when the situation can be controlled,” Clement said.

 

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