Social

Drinking water for a floating village

Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia is the biggest lake in Southeast Asia. However, its inhabitants were lacking access to safe drinking water. Waste disposal was another problem: plastic and other waste were often thrown into the lake because there were no alternative solutions.

Menschen nutzen Boote zur Fortbewegung im schwimmenden Dorf im Tonle Sap-See

Asia

Cambodia

Tonle Sap

Funding period: 2020-2022

Tonle Sap Lake, with its year-round tropical weather, is regarded as the freshwater lake with the largest fish stocks in the world. The aim of the pilot project on Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, which was supported jointly by the Wilo-Foundation and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as the main sponsor, was to help turn the floating village of Phat Sanday into a clean, environmentally friendly, participatory and resilient community that is able to manage its fish stocks sustainably and diversify its sources of income.

Key elements of the project were establishing a village committee on waste management and drinking water, installing a system for the separation and collection of solid waste, and securing the drinking water supply for at least 1,000 villagers by means of a floating water kiosk. Another aim of the project was to improve other important conditions so as to promote the development of ecotourism activities, creating alternative income-generation opportunities for local inhabitants.

Nahaufnahme der Ultrafiltrationsanlage — The ultrafiltration system is the heart of the water kiosk. Photo: Global Nature Fund - Internationale Stiftung für Umwelt und Natur, Radolfzell

Eine Frau beobachtet die Ultrafiltrationsanlage, die das Filtrat in große Behälter füllt — The filtrate of the ultrafiltration plant is filled into large containers. Photo: Global Nature Fund - Internationale Stiftung für Umwelt und Natur, Radolfzell

This has been successful: today, a floating water kiosk not only provides clean drinking water for local communities and tourists but has also given seven community members a job and an income. The drinking water is in high demand among the inhabitants. The village is also engaged in ecotourism activities that generate revenues for the village (accommodation, food and drinks, and the sale of products crafted from locally grown water hyacinths). As a result, the community has become less dependent on fishing, which is the primary source of income for most people but has highly fluctuating yields.

The concept for waste separation and processing on Tonle Sap Lake is unique. In addition to a pilot project for separating and processing waste in 150 households, a waste collection service with two boats has been established. More villages have now signalled their interest in the measures, too.

Photo Header: Global Nature Fund - Internationale Stiftung für Umwelt und Natur, Radolfzell

Our funding partner

Global Nature Fund - Internationale Stiftung für Umwelt und Natur, Radolfzell, is a non-profit foundation, pursuing the vision of development within planetary boundaries in order to ensure the right of present and future generations to a healthy planet where biodiversity is conserved, regenerated and restored as the foundation of life.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) forms the global framework for action for socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development. Our funding commitment also supports these sustainability goals. With this project, we are making a contribution to achieving the following SDGs:

What are the SDGs?