InfraCo Asia has extended a USD $2.3 Million loan to Khmer Water Supply Holding (KWSH) to expand its water supply network in rural and semi-rural communities of Siem Reap, Kratie, Takoe and Prey Veng in Cambodia. Approximately 14,500 homes are expected to receive first-time access to treated water through this supply network expansion.
11 January 2023, Singapore – Today, Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company InfraCo Asia, announced that it has achieved financial close for the Cambodia Water Portfolio project, developed in partnership with Khmer Water Supply Holding (KWSH). Utilising the USD $2.3 million loan provided by InfraCo Asia, KWSH will extend its water pipeline network and provide first-time access to adequate and safe water available 24/7 to close to 66,900 people.
KWSH has a Private Water Operator (PWO) License to serve non-urban areas in Cambodia and the loan will be used to extend the distribution capacity of KWSH stations in Siem Reap, Kratie, Takoe and Prey Veng provinces, expanding the supply network of treated water to these rural and semi-rural parts of the country.
The project supports sustainable development goal (SDG) 6.1 which sets out to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. The expanded network will reach consumers in the bottom half of the country’s income distribution and is expected to disproportionately benefit women and girls who are largely responsible for household water collection in the rural areas of Cambodia. Access to a reliable source of treated water will also improve the community’s resilience of the community to current and future effects of climate change.
PIDG Technical Assistance will provide grants to the Cambodia Water Portfolio project to further strengthen KWSH’s gender and inclusion efforts. The grants will be used to review KWSH’s existing human resources policies and resourcing plan, undertake a skillset gap analysis, and recommend relevant training to enhance women’s business and technical skills in the water sector.
“As part of our involvement in the Cambodia Water Portfolio project, InfraCo Asia and PIDG aim to serve as a catalyst for future development in Cambodia’s water sector. Together with the KWSH team, we are excited to fund infrastructure that will extend first-time access to treated water to homes in rural Cambodia,” said Claudine Lim, InfraCo Asia Interim CEO.
“KWSH has been striving for nearly 10 years to demonstrate the scalability of our model, so we are thrilled to have now achieved the track record needed to bring on board a partner like InfraCo Asia. Their involvement along with the PIDG team will have a transformational effect on the company’s ability to execute its goal of generating meaningful impact for the lives of hundreds of thousands of rural Cambodians,” said Christophe Forsinetti, Chairperson, KWSH.
The project is expected to begin construction in January 2023. Following InfraCo Asia’s investment, DFC has committed a $7 million loan to KWSH to bring piped, potable water to an additional 45,000 Cambodian households in rural and semi-rural areas.
