Bos Leav villagers welcome new water filters

Kratie Province – Chev Phin, a widow in Bos Leav commune, smiles whilst looking at her new white water filter.  

“We were suffering from diarrhea and severe stomach pains when we did not have the water filter. However, now we have the water filter, our health is better,” she recalls.

Chev Phin is one of the 285 most vulnerable households who recently received water filters in the commune. Many of the villagers who previously suffered from bouts of malaria, dengue, stomach cramps and diarrhea welcomed the new 10-litre water filters into their homes in June of this year.  

The initiative to deliver the water filters to vulnerable residents in Bos Leav followed the completion of an assessment to gain an in-depth understanding of the impacts of climate change in two rural provinces: Teuk Krahom in Preah Vihear Province and Bos Leav in Kratie Province.

The assessment is part of a UNDP and Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project, Promoting Climate Resilient Water Management and Agricultural Practices in Rural Cambodia known as a follow-up project on the Cambodia’s National Adaptation Programme of Action to Climate Change (NAPA). It is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The assessment asked 253 villagers in the Bos Leav commune (of which 148 were women) about climate change impacts on their lives and identifies priority needs in reducing these vulnerabilities. Farmers felt the health of their families and animals, water resources and crop yields, will be most impacted if climate change increases.

They also highlighted the deterioration of water quality occurred during the dry season and suggested the need for clean water through the use of water filters. Most affected from drinking contaminated water were women, children and older people suffering from malaria, dengue and diarrhea. The UNDP project responded to the suggestions and worked in partnership with the Provincial Department of Women’s Affairs, the Provincial Department of Water Resources and Meteorology and the NAPA project to distribute water filters to 285 vulnerable families.

“Each water filter is essentially a ceramic pot encased in a plastic container with a tap at its base. The ceramic pot strains out nearly all harmful bacteria and parasites and provides clean, safe drinking water for vulnerable families,” explains Mr. Mann Mouy, NAPA project’s provincial coordinator.

“Before, I suffered from fever, stomach aches and malaria and since I drink water from the water filter, I’ve recovered from my illness. I have not had any problems yet,” recalls Chea Sinak, a 48-year-old mother of four who recently took ownership of a new filter.

The water filters have a life span of 2 – 3 years and are designed to be user-friendly and easy to maintain. For Chea Sinak’s family, the design is very convenient and practical, especially for her children. 

“We just put the water in and drink. My children can just drink right away without waiting for boiled water and we reduce the amount of wood we use, says Chea Sinak.

And it’s not only the villagers who are seeing the immediate health benefits of the water filters.

“Since the distribution of the water filters to the most vulnerable families, recorded cases of malaria, stomach aches, dengue and diarrhea has decreased,” explains Mr. Nay Khy, Bos Leav commune chief.

The distribution of the water filters is just one of the NAPA Follow-up project’s activities to make Cambodia’s agricultural sector less vulnerable to changes in the availability of water resources resulting from climate change. The project also contributes to the broader goal of enhancing adaptive capacity to prevent food insecurity in Cambodia induced by climate change.