Three #Cambodian cities chosen for Asean urban planning scheme

Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Siem Reap have been included in the Asean Smart Cities Network, and will benefit from the assistance of the Japanese government in creating technologically advanced urban spaces.

The Asean Smart Cities Network (ASCN) is a collaborative platform where cities from Asean member states work towards the common goal of smart and sustainable urban development. The project is supported by the Japanese government.

The chosen Cambodian cities will benefit from Japanese investment into modern facilities to improve the lives of their citizens, according to representatives of the Japanese government who yesterday attended the first meeting of the ‘Public-Private Platform for Urban Development between Cambodia and Japan’.

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The forum – attended by 58 Japanese delegates and companies as well Cambodian officials and members of the private sector – served to introduce ASCN to local authorities and companies.

Yuki Fumihiko, Japan’s Vice Minister of Land, said that given Cambodia’s rapid development, careful urban planning must be prioritised.

He said the ‘Public-Private Platform for Urban Development between Cambodia and Japan’ will allow Cambodia and Japan to keep an open line of communication to discuss urban development.

Ozawa Kazuo, counsellor for global strategies at Japan’s Ministry of Land, said ASCN allows the region to benefit from Japan’s experience in urban planning.

“Our goal is to help Cambodia and Asean avoid the same mistakes that we made in the past in urban development.

“We want to create smart cities that use modern technologies to tackle planning, development, management and operation issues.

“The ultimate goal is to create better spaces for future generations so that they can live comfortably and sustainably in urban spaces,” he said, adding that the programme focuses on key issues like traffic, green spaces, energy efficiency, and recycling systems, among others.

“Today we seek your support and cooperation to bring what we have already achieved in other countries to Cambodia. Together we can make this project a success,” he told his audience.

Chea Sophara, the Cambodian Minister of Land Management, said, “The platform today seeks to boost investment opportunities in urban development for Japanese businesses, including residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, as well as infrastructure.

“This first platform is a very good initiative and shows the confidence Japanese investors have in Cambodia. I believe this programme will further strengthen the relationship between our nations.

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“The ministry is ready to support Japanese investors who want to participate in the programme. The government supports this initiative of the Japanese government which will benefit Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Battambang,” he added.

Mr Fumihiko invited all Cambodian officials and businesspeople at the event to participate in ASCN’s next high-level meeting, which will take place in Tokyo in October.

Source - Khmer Times

Indonesia-Cambodia trade grows to $492M

Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Indonesia amounted to $492.7 million in the first 11 months of last year, a 23 percent increase compared to the same period in 2016, according to a report from an Indonesian state-run news agency.

Indonesian Antara reported the growth in bilateral trade on Saturday, noting that Indonesia had invested primarily in the fields of culinary arts, housing, transportation and infrastructure improvements in Cambodia. The news came at the end of a three-day visit by Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs Prak Sokhonn, who left Indonesia on Saturday.

Bangkok flooding is chronic problem

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BMA officials admit they cannot cope with heavy rains as experts blame infrastructure and lack of preparedness.

BANGKOK WILL continue to experience flooding after heavy rains unless water-drainage problems including roads and canals are solved, water-management experts have said.

Heavy rain was to blame for yesterday’s floods in 25 areas around Bangkok after up to 170 millimetres of rain fell on the capital on Wednesday night, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) stated. 

Bangkok faced the prospect of more flooding as the Meteorological Department predicted more heavy rains last night and this morning.

 The heavy rains turned many streets of the city into canals and seriously worsened rush-hour traffic, causing many commuters to arrive late at work or school. One of the worst flooded areas was the Lat Phrao intersection at Ratchadaphisek Road, where the floodwaters reached about 30 centimetres and seriously disrupted traffic.

“Moreover, we could not drain the floodwater out of the street properly, because the canals were already full of water from the rains, even though we had decreased the water levels in the canals in advance.”

Sitang Pilailar, a lecturer at the Water Resources Engineering Department at Kasetsart University, said the reasons the BMA cited were chronic problems for the city.

“Bangkok will still flood every time after heavy rain, if the water cannot drain from the roads to the drainage pipes and to the canals properly,” Sitang said.

She said the first problem was that the drainage system mixed with the sewer system, so pipes were already full of wastewater. Moreover, during the floods in 2011, sand was dumped into the drainage system that had not been cleared out completely, lessening the capacity of the city’s drainage pipes by half.

Another problem was lack of preparation before the rain, Sitang said, adding the BMA usually received weather predictions from the Meteorological Department so water levels in the canals could be lowered in advance, but this time the BMA had not performed well.

“In addition to these problems, we still have the issue that many old communities suffer from chronic flooding because their location is lower than street level, so the water from the road drains into their communities instead of into the drainage pipes. The garbage in the drainage system is also significant, as many people still throw litter into drainage pipes and canals,” Sitang said.

“This is a task for all of us to tackle. The BMA has to be better prepared for flooding and maintain the drainage system to make sure that it can work properly, while the people also have to avoid clogging the drainage system with garbage if we want to sustainably solve the flooding problem in Bangkok.”

Source - TheNation

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