Residents and officials living around Phnom Penh’s canals say trash is quickly returning to waterways amid heavy rains, with at least one commune chief candidate promising to scrub the stench from garbage-clogged canals in his campaign.
Workers waded through Russei Keo’s trash-clogged Bak Touk Keo canal Wednesday morning as the district began a cleanup. It’s the third district seen to be cleaning up sewage systems since environmentalists petitioned officials earlier this month over trash pollution in the city.
Meanchey and Chamkarmon districts have started cleaning sewage systems last week, days after environmental activists identified seven locations in three districts where trash had clogged these canals.
Environmental activists have asked authorities in three Phnom Penh districts to clean up garbage accumulated in the city’s canals and sewage system.
Nine of the 10 trucks that enter one Takeo village daily are still dumping trash in a 1 hectare field, despite a deal struck earlier this month between the district and company to first incinerate everything in a furnace, residents said.
Dozens of villagers blocked a road to stop a trash company from bringing its trucks to a 1-hectare field near the village, which has been overflowing with bags of unprocessed, unburned garbage.
A volunteer group has been working for the last two months to clean up the riverbank in Chroy Changva district, while also trying to change people’s behaviors when it comes to trash disposal.
Two trash collectors have died and another seriously injured in a traffic incident as workers and family spoke of Phnom Penh’s new waste management companies putting them on unfamiliar shifts, not providing equipment and lacking union representation.
Following years of complaints about poor service, Cintri was put under state management in 2019, and as of July its work split up among three companies. Promises to keep all employees on the payroll were broken when 1,176 workers were terminated as of July 1.
A trash collectors union said its members could be facing unemployment as Phnom Penh began its new collection regime on Thursday, splitting former sole-operator Cintri’s jurisdiction into three areas.
Businessman Rithy Samnang Dies May 11, 12:46 pm 
Hun Sen’s Older Brother Hun Neng Dies Aged 72 May 5, 8:27 pm 
Opinion: Revitalizing Phnom Penh’s Streets as Destinations May 17, 11:55 am 
World Bank-Linked Watchdog Accepts Complaint on… May 3, 10:08 am 
Sexual Harassment Trial Held Against Khmer Times Publisher May 17, 1:54 pm 
VOD is a local independent media outlet producing radio programs and disseminating information to the public via the Internet.
© 2019 VOD. All Rights Reserved.
