Interview with Dr. Puthearath Chan

Dr. Puthearath Chan

Introduction

Dr. Puthearath Chan is an urban environmental engineer and discusses his background and expertise in sustainable urban development, particularly in Cambodia, in this interview. He first introduced himself, his PhD focused on SDG 11 from Hanyang University, and his work experience with the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). He emphasized Cambodia's rich history, religious harmony and friendly people, and developing infrastructure, including high-speed roads and multi-purpose coastal economic development. He detailed the country’s energy sector, both local sources and imports from neighboring countries, and a commitment to clean energy. He also addressed climate change issues along the Mekong River, including floods and droughts, and the government's efforts to mitigate these issues. Dr. Puthearath suggested using technology for environmental monitoring and emphasized the importance of sustainable practices in development.

Interview

Could you please briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Puthearath Chan and I am currently working as a senior sustainability researcher based in the Ministry of Environment and also an adjunct lecturer for environmental engineering at the Paragon International University in Cambodia.

In the past, I worked with the General Secretariat for Green Growth (GSGG) and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) on the Cambodia Green Urban Development Program (GUDP). There the first project I was fully dedicated to green urban development. After that, I did my PhD in sustainable urban development at Hanyang University Seoul Campus, South Korea. My research focused on UN sustainable development goal 11 (SDG 11), but also on assessing the Cambodian SDGs. I still support the sustainable city development projects at the Ministry, after coming back from Korea to Cambodia. I also contribute to the circular economy and circular entrepreneurship initiatives. At Paragon International University in Cambodia, I teach mostly environmental and sustainability-related aspects, such as environmental engineering and green building courses, while climate change mitigation and adaptation are the focus topics.

Overall, I work with the intention of generating new concepts or new projects connecting the environment with business. It means evoking eco-friendly and sustainable business ideas, particularly circular business or entrepreneurial concepts.

Can you tell us about the history of your country, your language and the characteristic of residents?

Cambodia is the oldest country in Southeast Asia and we have our first major civilization history back in the first century, namely the Funan Kingdom (50 CE–627). We have our own language, Khmer script, and neighboring countries also adapted our script. Cambodian people are friendly, not only to our Cambodians but also to international citizens or foreigners. We warmly welcome everybody and English is a popular language in Cambodia, so it’s easy for foreigners to work and travel in the country, as they can communicate with us. Also, we have a quite diverse society, including cultures and religions. We have a lot of religions in our country, with Buddhism as the national religion, but also accept and value other religions. Therefore, there is no conflict between different religions in Cambodia and everyone lives together in harmony.

How would you describe the economy and infrastructure of Cambodia?

Cambodia’s two largest industries are textiles and tourism. Tourism is a major sector and is considered a key driver of the country’s growth and development. Mostly, it is driven by the historical temples, especially the greatest temple in the world, namely Angkor Wat, which thus is the most attractive one in our country. Moreover, we have beautiful beaches, that are prettier than in many other countries. Tonle Sap Lake is also the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the world.

Regarding infrastructure, the Ministry of Public Work and Transport is responsible for implementing the national policy concerning the construction of all public works, including roads, bridges, ports, railways, etc. Even though we have faced some challenges in terms of limited financial and technical resources, the government has so far made significant progress. For example, the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway was completed and opened to the public in 2022, while the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway began its construction in June 2023. This significantly reduces our travel time; if we take normal roads, we spend five to six hours to get from the city center to the beach. But now we have the Expressway, where we can get to the beach or back to the city in a shorter time.

In summary, our economy has been one of the fastest growing in the world; in 2016 ADB (Asian Development Bank) named Cambodia as Asia’s New Tiger Economy, and in 2024 UN recommended Cambodia to graduate from a least developed country, and the government is committed to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high income (developed) country in 2050. I think this goal can be achieved, based on the current economy and infrastructure development trend. In general, I would say that I am proud to see progress in the development of Cambodia.

What is your opinion about the current energy system in Cambodia and how would you assess the sustainability behind it?

Cambodia’s energy system includes local power generation, imports from neighboring countries, and renewable energy. In the governance system, we have two main ministries overseeing and sustaining the energy sector. Firstly, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) takes the lead in developing government policies/strategies and technical standards for the energy sector. Secondly, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) takes the lead of the National Council for Sustainable Development in promoting renewable (sustainable) energy. Also, the MoE is the authority to review and approve the environmental assessments and environmental management plans for all energy projects. The sustainability behind it involves the implementation of the environmental code, which is regulated with a strong commitment to the sustainable development of the country.

Currently, we are not only producing electricity power domestically, but also importing from Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Actually, if you want to be independent in the energy sector in the short term, we could invest in the construction of hydropower dams, since our country has a very high potential, especially along the Mekong River and mountain ranges. However, the government set a clear direction for sustainable development, and did not construct the hydropower dams, especially in the Mekong River, and already declared it at the COP28 of the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai. This is the government’s strong commitment toward sustainability, and promoting clean and renewable energy, and decided to continue importing it from our neighboring countries, but the dam is not supposed to be built in the Mekong River.

When we look at the daily use, to be honest in the last five years in the dry season, there was not enough electricity supply, but this year we had no lack of supply even could not cover the whole country’s demand, such as islands. The islands are commonly disconnected from the main grid, but the government aims to use solar energy instead of connecting to the main grid. However, the cities on the mainland, which are connected to the main grid, are moreover promoting solar energy and energy-efficient use, supported by the Ministry of Environment. While the Ministry of Mines and Energy is responsible for the policy level, the EDC (Electricite du Cambodge) is the supplier in Cambodia (a state-owned public company) and the Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) is an autonomous government agency responsible for managing and administering the provision of electric power in Cambodia.

Considering that the Mekong River flows through Cambodia, do you believe climate change and pollution significantly impact this region?

This is complicated, so some local issues are sensitive to climate change, but some issues are not; and the impacts of climate change on the Mekong region are various and different from country to country, as the river flows through multiple countries, including China. For Cambodia, as I mentioned earlier, we do not prioritize hydropower dam construction in the Mekong River, and the government also confirmed its decision internationally, especially at COP28, so our Mekong River is quite well in terms of water flow and fish migration (no berries), as well as ecosystem and biodiversity conservation. However, climate change still has impacts on our Mekong provinces, such as droughts and floods. Also, I just heard about the recent speech of the Senate President, Samdech Hun Sen, former Prime Minister, regarding flood issues in Cambodia that “Vietnam has prospered due to protecting its people’s interests, exemplified by numerous dam constructions. During late July and early August, when floods threaten their harvests, Vietnam strategically closes dams to safeguard their rice and crops, causing floods in Cambodian provinces bordering Vietnam, notably in Kandal, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Takeo, and Kampot.” quoted speech, Khmer Times.

In this matter, the government’s under-construction Funan Techno Canal, a new canal that connects the Cambodian Mekong River system with the sea, will help our country to reduce floods during the rainy season.

Do you have some thoughts or ideas on our SustAInability project?

Before the kickoff meeting for all participants, I saw that the project is between three universities and gives the opportunity for students to explore this whole new topic, which I find very interesting and important.

Actually, I have a lot of ideas for the AI project, but not sure whether they are suitable (size) for our AI project or not. Some of these ideas for environmental management in Cambodia may have already been told by Dr. Daniiar Satybaldiev, our project coordinator in Cambodia. Before directly answering your question, I am happy to inform you that using AI or technology for environmental management in Cambodia is strongly recommended by the government. H.E. Minister of Environment has recently used technology widely to protect and manage the environment and natural protected areas. He is quite familiar with technology, as he had relative experience with using and testing it before. For example, he used satellites to manage the protected areas so that illegal logging could be stopped on time, with detailed investigations done by sub-national authorities, which means the satellite information can be passed to the province. Also, considering the wastewater treatment I can see much improvement in terms of using technology. For example, with support from the Chinese government/companies and others, the Ministry could install wastewater monitoring machines in the industrial companies, and when the wastewater of those companies is not well treated, the machines are alert and directly send information to the Ministry; so this technology allows the ministry to monitor the industrial wastewater treatment and ensure the water is cleaned or safe before discharging to the river. This is quite important as there are so many companies and the government has limited staff. Also, the monitoring of air quality is now more developed. Cambodia is equipped with air quality monitoring meters in 25 provinces to monitor air quality and produce data daily. The ministry has also developed an air quality index, and the quality is measured much improved due to the new and modern monitoring meters supported by partner countries, such as China and South Korea.

So, we see significant progress in using AI or technologies in environmental and natural resources management towards achieving sustainability in Cambodia as explained above. However, we still see a lot of opportunities or gaps to use of AI or (computer) technologies to promote sustainability in Cambodia. In my opinion and based on the Pentagonal Strategy’s sustainability and Department of Green Economy (DGE) priorities, the following should be the potential areas of applying AI/technology:

Conclusion

A special thanks to Katharina Krohm, an SRH University Heidelberg student, for conducting this engaging conversation.

Interviewer: Katharina Krohm
Interviewee: Prof. Dr. Puthearath Chan