Water Resources Management Sector Development Program / Project (WRMSDP) (Loan/Grant 2672 / 0220-CAM[SF])

Name of Client:
Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM)

Country:
Cambodia

Length of Consultancy Assignment:
Start Date: 15 March 2012
Completion Date: 30 June 2019

Detailed Narrative Description of Project:

To address some of the key factors constraining poverty reduction and food security in Cambodia (viz., low factor productivity, lack of access to markets and information, weak rural financial services, need to strengthen policy reforms and institutions), WRMSDP was designed to promote agricultural productivity and foster community-driven development (CDD) through investments in integrated water resource management (IWRM), irrigation facilities and services, institutional strengthening, and capacity development.

The project aimed to: (i) strengthen the capacity of the Government and empower beneficiary communities to sustainably manage water resources; (ii) increase agricultural production in a sustainable and participatory way; and (iii) enhance beneficiary livelihoods and market opportunities for surplus crop, livestock, and fisheries production. The sector development program supports the process of: (i) promoting national water reforms, including policies, legislation, and institutional roles; (ii) improving integrated water resources management (IWRM) in river basins, focusing on the Tonle Sap basin and the Strung Sen sub-basin; and (iii) strengthening irrigation services in a selected area of the Tonle Sap basin.

The Investment Component financed under the Project Loan has one output (Output C), which: (i) supports the strengthening of provincial and district-level administrative capacity to implement the project; (ii) undertakes a program of rehabilitation and improvement of about 15,000 hectares (ha) of existing irrigation schemes in the three provinces of Kampong Thom, Siem Reap, and Banteay Meanchey, all within the Tonle Sap Basin; (iii) enhances the technical skills, livelihood opportunities, and capacity of FWUCs and farmers within the rehabilitated irrigation systems; and (iv) supports MOWRAM, the Provincial Departments of Water Resources and Meteorology (PDWRAMs), Provincial Departments of Agriculture (PDAs), and farmer water users’ communities (FWUCs) in managing investment activities effectively and efficiently at the national, provincial, district, and local levels to ensure that the Project is implemented on time and within budget.


PRIMEX fielded a Project Management Consultant (PMC) Team led by an International Water Resources Engineer/Team Leader and a national Deputy Team Leader/Irrigation Engineer. The PMC supported MOWRAM and PDWRAM in project implementation at the national, provincial, district, and subproject levels. Specifically, the PMC Team rendered technical advice and assistance to PMO and PIUs in project management and in specific functional areas requiring specialist inputs, namely:

  • Project management, including planning and reporting, financial planning and management, and procurement of goods and services; development and installation of project performance monitoring system and budget control and financial management system; and assistance in the procurement of goods and services including preparation of terms of reference and bid documents for the conduct of feasibility study, detailed design and civil works;
  • Capacity building, including strengthening the administrative capacity of PDWRAM and District Offices through specific training programs involving project implementation particularly in preparation of work plan and budget, project performance monitoring and evaluation, and contract management and supervision;
  • FWUC formation, organization development, and capacity development, particularly in irrigation system operation and maintenance and financial management, and preparation of detailed arrangements for providing assistance to FWUCs, initially in the NWISP and Stung Chinit Irrigation Project (SCIP), on O&M of irrigation systems and enhancement of livelihood opportunities; and
  • Technical advisory assistance, including review of subproject profiles with particular emphasis on environment, resettlement, gender mainstreaming, and other safeguard plans and provision of technical advice to core and non-core subprojects (CSPs/ NCSPs).