Joint efforts underway to prevent pollution of plastic in Tonle Sap Lake

MINISTER of Environment Eang Sophalleth announced plans to clean and eliminate plastic waste in the Tonle Sap Lake, a project praised by officials and organisations involved in environmental issues.

Sophalleth made the statement while leading an interministerial and EU delegation to visit the Prek Toal Ramsar site in Koh Chivaing commune of Battambang province’s Ek Phnom district in late January, according to a February 4 social media post from the ministry.

“The ministry has researched and planned to implement measures to eradicate plastic waste on the water’s surface. The Tonle Sap Lake is our top priority for this initiative,” he stated.

“Cleaning up the [lake] is a crucial task. We need to remove all plastic to ensure clean water and prevent the loss of fish and biodiversity. This poses a serious threat and could cause catastrophic damage to the lake, a unique asset of Cambodia that other countries do not possess,” he added.

Ministry spokesperson Khvay Atiya stressed the ministry’s intentions of adopting a “clean, green and sustainable” approach to the issue, noting that the initiative was part of its 2023-28 Circular Strategy on the environment, focusing on cleanliness on land, in water and in the air.

Atiya said the project commenced on September 1, following the launch of a campaign to reduce plastic bag usage, themed “Today I do not use plastic”.

“So, our plan is to first achieve cleanliness on land. Once 50 per cent of the population gains a deeper understanding and actively participates in land clean-up efforts, the ministry will then focus on cleaning water bodies. The plastic waste [water] clean-up project, part of phase II, will commence shortly, and the ministry has already set its direction,” he explained.

Atiya added that during the visit to the area, Sophalleth and the EU delegation observed the lake’s surface polluted with trash and plastic bags. After that, he said the ministry immediately strategised to continue cleaning efforts in bodies of water, starting with the lake, including efforts to prevent pollution from canals flowing into it.

Sea Sophal, director of the NGO2 BambooShoot Foundation, expressed his enthusiasm for the project.

“What we are trying to achieve today is to ensure that our [lake] remains free from plastic refuse. The effort aligns with my mission of educating the Tonle Sap community about avoiding plastic ... It also coincides with our campaign for this year, which operates under the theme ‘Clean community, Green Tonle Sap, Without plastic’,” he said on February 5.

“If the ministry undertakes the programme, I would be extremely pleased. It would be a dream seeing our past efforts bear fruit,” he added.

EU ambassador to Cambodia Igor Driesmans highlighted the EU’s commitment to supporting Cambodia in preserving the environment and biodiversity of the Tonle Sap region amid global climate change.

He said that if Cambodia can maintain its natural beauty and environment, it would “undoubtedly attract more tourists to the country”.