The remodeling and beautification of Phnom Penh’s main streets has ignored the city’s drainage system, potentially leaving city dwellers swamped by rainy season filth, a top city sanitation official said Sunday.
“They have not thought about the water problem during the rains,” Phnom Penh Sewage Department Director Nouv Saroeun said.
The city’s drains are designed to be 25 centimeters wide, but the repaving of streets like Norodom Boulevard has left only 7 cm of space on many drains, Nouv Saroeun said.
“The water will get stopped up by a few leaves,” he said.
The problem is most acute along Norodom Boulevard from the Independence Monument to Ang Duong hospital, where the raised asphalt has either closed or severely narrowed the entrance to the drains, Nouv Saroeun said, attributing the potential problem to “bad management.”
“The company could not keep the drainage space because it would have lost money. The company officers cared nothing about the waterways,” he said.
Company officials could not be reached for comment Sunday.
In the meantime, at least six streets around the capital are scheduled for repairs in the coming months, city officials said.
Among the roads being repaved, repaired or rebuilt in the coming days are streets 19, 184, 94, 90, 199 and Sisowath Quay from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Sothearos Boulevard, Phnom Penh Public Works and Transportation Director Nhem Saran said.
Besides Norodom Boulevard, Charles De Gaulle street, Monireth Boulevard from Phsar Thmei to the Stung Meanchey bridge and Street 13 from Wat Phnom to the Royal Palace are under construction, Nhem Saran said. All of the roadwork should be finished by November, Nhem Saran said.
