Environment ministry reports 19.7 million cubic metres of wastewater kept out of waterways

The Ministry of Environment says its enforcement work stopped factories from releasing almost 19.7 million cubic metres of wastewater into natural waterways during the first nine months of 2026, with more than 2.2 million cubic metres prevented in September alone.

The figures form part of the ministry's "Clean Water Surface" campaign, a push to tighten controls on industrial pollution across Cambodia.

Automatic monitoring expands

A key part of the campaign has been encouraging factories to fit automatic wastewater quality monitoring equipment, which allows authorities to track pollution levels remotely and in real time.

• By the end of September, monitoring systems were in place at 72 industrial sites.
• At the close of 2025, only 56 facilities had such equipment installed.

Ministry spokesman Khvay Atitya said the measures were keeping roughly 700,000 cubic metres of wastewater out of rivers and streams each day, safeguarding both the environment and public health.

He also thanked factory operators for working with authorities and meeting their obligations under environmental law.

Enforcement to continue

Atitya said the ministry would keep up its efforts to stop wastewater from being discharged into natural water sources, while urging highly polluting factories and enterprises to adopt automated monitoring systems.