【ASEAN Line】China's "messenger of light" brings changes to the village of Orese, Cambodia
Phnom Penh, 7 Jul (ZXS) -- China's "messengers of light" have brought changes to the village of Orese, Cambodia
China News Agency reporter Yang Qiang
Nida is happy because she no longer has to carry water bottles from home to school every day like in the past. The 13-year-old Cambodian fifth-grade student told the China News Agency on the 20th that this year, Chinese-funded enterprises helped Orese Village Primary School design and install a water purification system, so that the teachers and students of the school and nearby villagers can enjoy clean water from now on.
Orese Village Primary School is located about 300 kilometers from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. A reverse osmosis pure water treatment system consisting of two large blue round containers stands in a corner of the campus. A month ago, the equipment was officially put into service. Unscrew the faucet, and a stream of clear and transparent pure water rushes out, and the students' faces are full of joyful smiles.
The water purification system of Orese Village Primary School is an integral part of the "Lancang-Mekong National Typical Small Watershed Comprehensive Management Demonstration (Phase III)" project. Under the project, there is also a rolling dam project to ensure the dry season irrigation of the economic fruit forests in Orese village, and a drip irrigation system for fruit trees to improve the efficiency of water use and promote the sustainable green development of the village.
Students at Orese Village Elementary School are using a water purification system in June 2023. Photo by Yang Qiang, reporter of China News Agency
Orese village, part of Mobang District, Cambodia's National Province, originally had no public water supply system, and the villagers got their drinking water from two local streams and groundwater. There is a clear rainy and dry season, and villagers usually collect rainwater for daily use during the rainy season. But now, they have a better option.
The dry season water supply guarantee dam project was built on a stream not far from the Orese Village Primary School. The reporter of the China News Agency saw at the scene on the 20th that the river of white flowers overflowed the dam surface, and the fish jumped in the middle, forming a beautiful scenery. A worker working on a farm next to the rolling dam said that in the past dry season, people needed buckets to fetch water from ditches to irrigate crops, which was inefficient and very laborious.
On July 7, the site of the rolling dam project to ensure the irrigation of the economic fruit forest in Orese village during the dry season. Photo by Yang Qiang, reporter of China News Agency
"In the past, we faced many challenges, not only with the safety of drinking water, but also with low cash crop yields due to insufficient water supply and difficulty in irrigation during the dry season." Sozhan, a 68-year-old resident of Orese village, said Chinese companies have helped them solve these problems and improve the livelihoods of local people. "Now we no longer face water shortages."
The Chinese-funded Cambodia Dadai Hydropower Co., Ltd. is the contractor of the above three phases of the project. Zhao Wensheng, executive deputy general manager of the company, said that while Chinese-funded enterprises have built a series of large-scale projects in Cambodia in recent years, they have also taken into account the construction of a number of "small but beautiful" livelihood projects, which directly benefit the local people.
Highway 431 at the Cardamom Pass is the gateway to Guogong City in Mobang County, and a recently completed prestressed concrete bridge crosses the Lu River. On the spacious and sturdy bridge deck, busy fruit and agricultural products transport vehicles show that this is a road leading the residents of Mobon to prosperity, which is dominated by the cultivation of cash crops.
July 7, Guoyang River Shun'an Bridge. Photo by Yang Qiang, reporter of China News Agency
The original steel bridge called the Maubon Bridge has fallen into disrepair, raising safety concerns among local residents. In 2022, Dai Hydropower Co., Ltd. donated to build the Guoyang River Shun'an Bridge. Zhao Wensheng said that this is a friendship bridge jointly agreed and named by the company and the governor of Guogong Province, which symbolizes the good expectations of local residents for smooth weather and safe travel.
Zhao Wensheng, who went to Cambodia to work in 2013, remembers the scene in Mobang County at that time when it was "dark at night". In June 2015, the Dai Hydropower Station officially entered commercial operation, completely ending the history of power shortage in Mobang County.
"Chinese enterprises have brought light to Mobang County, created many jobs, and promoted the development of commerce, trade, tourism and other industries. Our lives are constantly changing for the better. Mobon County Magistrate Tima said. (End)