Cambodia: Emergency Flood Rehabilitation Project - Completion Report

I. PROJECT DESCRIPTION
1. The 2000 floods caused unprecedented damage due to the extent and duration of inundation that covered more than 50% of Cambodia. The Mekong River exceeded the established emergency level during 2 - 26 September 2000 and reached a peak of 0.6 m above emergency levels around 17 September 2000. This incident, combined with the residual impact from the 1996 floods, seriously damaged infrastructure and caused extensive human suffering (186 deaths) due to displacement, food shortage, interruption to economic livelihoods, and disease outbreaks. The Royal Government of Cambodia (the Government) requested Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other donors(1) to provide emergency assistance in order to rehabilitate key flood-damaged infrastructure to pre-flood conditions in the affected provinces. The Project rehabilitated facilities in five sectors identified as those being (i) the highest priorities of the Government, (ii) ones in which ADB had experience and current involvement, (iii) where the damage threatened the outcomes of ongoing or completed ADB projects, (iv) where impact on economic and social welfare of the community would be greatest, and (v) where there was a clear division of responsibilities with other agencies.

2. The Project had six components:

(i) Part A: National Transport Network. Consisted of urgently needed repair (function restoration - phase I) and rehabilitation (phase II) of the flood-damaged national road network, including bridges and culverts that had been damaged or washed away, and repair of railway embankments and railway bridges.

(ii) Part B: Flood Control and Irrigation. Included rehabilitation of a major flood control dike protecting residential and agricultural areas of Phnom Penh and small to medium-scale irrigation facilities, including embankments, water control structures, and delivery and drainage canals.

(iii) Part C: Rural Infrastructure. Included rehabilitation of flood-damaged rural infrastructure, including rural roads, bridges, and culverts within close proximity of ADB-financed projects and projects executed by World Food Programme (WFP).

(iv) Part D: Education. Comprised rehabilitation of education facilities (repairs to classroom floors, roofing and walls) and replacement of furniture and equipment.

(v) Part E: Health. Included repair of health centers and referral hospital facilities, half of which had been constructed under an ongoing ADB funded project.(2)

(vi) Part F: Support to Project Monitoring and Coordination Unit. Included operation of a project monitoring and coordination unit (PMCU) established within the Ministry of Planning (MOP), the Executing Agency, to provide consulting services, equipment, supplies, and incremental administrative and personnel costs.

3. The respective implementing agencies3 (lAs) identified eligible subprojects based on criteria outlined in Schedule 5, para. 8 of the Loan Agreement, together with additional criteria developed by the IAs and approved by the PMCU and ADB. Implementation adopted a sector approach, with subprojects selected during implementation to provide a rapid response and maximum flexibility within the agreed criteria. The existence of ongoing ADB-funded projects in each sector facilitated a rapid response to the emergency through timely access to international and local consultants for design, contract preparation and administration, and construction supervision.

4. The loan became effective on 22 December 2000. The original date for physical completion was 31 December 2003 and the closing date of the loan was 30 June 2004. The final amount of the loan utilized was $55.8 million, or SDR 41.1 million.

Notes:

(1) World Bank approved in February 2001 a Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project for $35 million. World Food Programme approved in December 2000 an in-kind contribution of $2 million to support food-for-work activities for rehabilitating some rural road alignments associated with the two emergency flood rehabilitation projects.

(2) ADB. 1996. Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors on a Proposed Loan to the Kingdom of Cambodia for the Basic Health Services Project. Manila (Loan 1447-CAM[SF])

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