Banteay Meanchey (FN), Apr. 2 – Cambodian Minister of Rural Development Chhay Rithisen presided over a ceremony recognising Banteay Meanchey as the 18th province to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status.
The ceremony on 1 April 2026 at Samdech Techo Win-Win Park, Banteay Meanchey, brought together around 1,450 attendees, including the secretary of state, under-secretary of state, senior officials from the Ministry of Rural Development, Provincial Council Chairman Plak Vary, Banteay Meanchey Governor Oum Reatrey, members of the Senate and Provincial Council, the Deputy Governor, representatives from the Provincial Working Group (PWG), development partners, and national and international dignitaries.
Governor Oum Reatrey provided an overview of the province’s clean water and sanitation status, noting that Banteay Meanchey comprises two cities and seven districts, with 55 communes, 12 sangkats, and 664 villages, home to 201,381 families. Among them, 170,299 households, or 100 per cent, use toilets, with 163,049 households (95.74 per cent) having private toilets and 7,250 households (4.26 per cent) using communal facilities. Notably, all cities, districts, communes, sangkats, and villages have successfully eradicated open defecation, with 100 per cent coverage in two cities, seven districts, 67 communes, and 668 villages.
Minister Chhay Rithisen commended the province for its progress across multiple sectors, including security, public order, the economy, society, and culture.
The minister highlighted the significant improvements in citizens’ living standards and conditions, particularly through the expansion of clean water and sanitation services, which have encouraged behavioural changes—shifting from consuming unsafe water to drinking clean water for better health and transitioning from open defecation to proper toilet usage, fostering a more hygienic and civilised way of life.
He urged the provincial administration and all relevant stakeholders to continue supporting rural water supply and sanitation efforts, particularly by developing mechanisms to sustain Banteay Meanchey’s ODF status and further advancing sanitation initiatives.
On the occasion, the minister also outlined the Ministry of Rural Development’s five strategic priorities aimed at building a prosperous, innovative, digital, and resilient rural Cambodia. The ministry remains committed to achieving universal access to clean water and 100% sanitation coverage by 2030, contributing to a sustainable and healthy living environment for all citizens.
=FRESH NEWS
