Community-Led Solar-Powered Purifier Water System Poar Phnom Rai Indigenous Community, Cambodia

PROJECT SUMMARY & CASE STUDY

Community-Led Solar-Powered Purifier Water System
Poar Phnom Rai Indigenous Community, Cambodia

Project Title & ID:	Improve Community Action on Bio-friendly (KHM/SGP/OP7/Y5/CORE/IPAE/2025/03)
Funding / Awarded By:	The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), UNDP
Implementation Period:	September 4, 2025 – June 30, 2026 (10 Months)
Project Location:	Phnom Rai Village, Ta Taok Commune, Samlout District, Battambang Province, Cambodia (South Cardamom Mountain, Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary)

1. Project Overview

Implemented by the Eastern Cottage Organization (NECO), this 10-month initiative focuses on strengthening the long-term economic, social, cultural, and environmental resilience of the Poar Phnom Rai Indigenous Community. The project blends traditional indigenous stewardship knowledge with modern scientific interventions to address climate change vulnerabilities, promote access to clean energy, and support Indigenous Communal Land Titling recognition.

2. Key Challenges Addressed

• Severe water insecurity and contamination during the rainy season due to runoff containing agricultural chemicals, weedicides, and pesticides from nearby farms.
• A total lack of clean, safe drinking water access for teachers and students at the local Tuek Sok Lower Secondary School.
• Livelihood and food security vulnerabilities that require water for home vegetable gardens, demonstration farms, and tree nurseries.
• Threats of displacement and relocation in two adjacent villages due to a major water dam construction project.

3. Project Interventions

• Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Installed modern deep wells, water storage tanks, a community water station, and a high-capacity solar-powered water filtration system.
• Community Governance: Established a local Purifier Water Committee, designed transparent community-led operating rules, and crafted sustainable business and marketing plans for transparent benefit sharing.
• Educational Integration: Integrated practical life-skills training at Tuek Sok Lower Secondary School by developing a demonstration vegetable garden and a tree nursery to cultivate early environmental stewardship.
• Capacity Building & Inclusion: Facilitated training programs and regular monitoring sessions that actively prioritized the leadership and full inclusion of women and youth (both indigenous and non-indigenous).

4. Key Results & Impact

• Clean Water Access: Directly secured clean, safe drinking water for 134 households, school pupils, and broader community members, substantially mitigating local water-borne health risks.
• Climate Adaptation & Mitigation: Reduced greenhouse gas emissions and localized reliance on conventional energy through standard solar-powered operations, while building strict drought resilience.
• Cultural & Intellectual Property Preservation: Maintained indigenous resource stewardship by formally documenting traditional knowledge, protecting cultural heritage, and facilitating cross-generational knowledge transfer.
• Empowered Gender Governance: Elevated the agency of women by appointing them to crucial leadership, management, and operational decision-making roles within the water committees.

5. Key Lessons Learned & Conclusions

• Community Ownership is Crucial: Rural infrastructure investments achieve much higher efficiency and sustainability when coupled directly with robust, transparent local governance frameworks.
• Renewable Energy Delivery: Solar-powered systems successfully resolve rural utility gaps and climate mitigation goals simultaneously.
• Accountability via Inclusion: Active female involvement dramatically enhances operational transparency, systematic trust, and administrative accountability.

Cultural Resonance: Integrating traditional cultural wisdom into resource asset management directly enhances community resilience and long-term compliance.

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