1001 Smart Cities
🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

PPWSA: Metering Out a 72% Water Loss

🤖 AI-generated summary of the sources below · 🔎 Last verified · ◆ 15 sourced claims, none individually verified yet

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

✎ Updated 21 Aug 2026 Publication date recorded for 7 sources. · 2 revisions in all What changed →

In 1993 Phnom Penh's water utility lost 72% of what it produced, and only 12.61% of its connections had a meter. From 1994 it fitted meters to every household connection, enforced billing and put zoned teams on leak control. Losses fell to 6% by 2008 and bill collection rose from 48% to over 98%. SCADA and GIS came later.

Live 📅 since 1993
Outcome🎯 Succeeded
Evidence📊 Independent
what does this mean?The strongest source is an independent non-academic evaluation: an audit office, a government or EU review, or an NGO. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byPhnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA)
Scale🏙️ City-wide
FundingTariff revenue, no state operating subsidy; Bakheng capital works co-financed by AFD, EIB and the EU

📊 Impact

Non-revenue water fell from 72% in 1993 to 6% in 2008, with 24-hour supply reaching about 90% of a city of 1.3 million and no state operating subsidy. It has since drifted back up: PPWSA puts the loss rate at 8.75% for 2023.

🎓 Lesson

The turnaround ran on meters and enforced bills, not on a control room: SCADA, GIS and spot-billing arrived only after 2015. And a loss rate is no ratchet — as the network aged and spread, losses climbed back from a 5.9% low at the end of 2009.

📡 Data & IoTWaterSensors & IoT

Sources

↗ PPWSA — Non-revenue water (operator)Operator's own NRW page: 72% in 1993, 12.61% of connections metered in 1993, meters on all household connections from 1994, Class B→C meter upgrade from 1997, 8 water-loss groups with 63 technical staff by 2023, and 8.75% for 2023. Fetched 2026-08-17.
↗ SIWI Stockholm Industry Water Award 2010 — announcementPublished 4 June 2010Independent award citation with the core figures: 72% (1993) → 6% (2008), collection over 98%, 90% coverage of a city of 1.3 million, 24-hour service, no state subsidy. SIWI's own winner page now 404s; this announcement carries the jury text.
↗ The Source (IWA magazine) — PPWSA's path to progress (2021)Published 26 November 202126 November 2021: NRW above 70% (1993) → 5.9% at end-2009; collection 48% → 99%; 333,288 connections in 2020; GIS with SCADA and the Sense Water loss-management system after 2015; spot-billing from mid-2017.
↗ IWA — Building a Resilient Water Future for Phnom Penh (2025)Published 18 December 202518 December 2025, the most recent source found. Gives 8.93% for 2023 (PPWSA's own page says 8.75% — the two are not averaged), and attributes the rise to urbanisation, expansion and an ageing network.
↗ PPWSA — History (operator)Founding by Royal Decree 164NS of 24 March 1960; 72% loss in 1993; 365,120 customers at end-2018. PPWSA has been listed on the Cambodia Securities Exchange since 2012.
Show 2 more sourcesShow fewer
↗ Biswas & Tortajada (2010), Int. J. Water Resources Development 26(2)The peer-reviewed independent study of this turnaround. Listed for the record — the full text was not retrievable during this review, so no figure in this entry is attributed to it.
↗ Smart Water Magazine — Bakheng plant construction start (2021)Published 2 February 2021The current capital programme: capacity from 600,000 to about 1,000,000 m³/day; AFD $186.4M, EIB $100M, EU $15M grant, PPWSA $80M; construction started February 2021.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 1993. 4 of 7 sources carry a publication date, from 4 June 2010 to 18 December 2025.

When the sources were published

  1. Water Online · pressSIWI Stockholm Industry Water Award 2010 — announcement
  2. Smart Water Magazine · pressSmart Water Magazine — Bakheng plant construction start (2021)
  3. International Water Association · industry associationThe Source (IWA magazine) — PPWSA's path to progress (2021)
  4. International Water Association · industry associationIWA — Building a Resilient Water Future for Phnom Penh (2025)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Entered the record
  2. Sources last read
  3. Publication date recorded for 7 sources
  4. Publication date recorded for 7 sources

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 15 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence Passport · public beta 15 addressable claims, 7 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The passport is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 15

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-2e3e132a729b4e1e quantitative
lost 72% of what it produced
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The operator states the 1993 loss rate outright — 'In 1993 the rate of water loss experienced by PPWSA was 72%' — and SIWI and IWA repeat the same baseline year and figure.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. PPWSA — Non-revenue water (operator)
Claim 2 clm-f26981548d84a8dd quantitative
only 12.61% of its connections had a meter
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The operator's own baseline for metering coverage in the same year as the 72% loss rate: 'In 1993, 12.61% of all water connections had water meters.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. PPWSA — Non-revenue water (operator)
Claim 3 clm-baeea6d0401ad864 quantitative
From 1994 it fitted meters to every household connection
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The operator dates the start of universal household metering to 1994: 'In 1994, PPWSA commenced installing water meters to all household connections.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. PPWSA — Non-revenue water (operator)
Claim 4 clm-3d83191d791ab2ea descriptive
put zoned teams on leak control
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
Water-loss control is organised as dedicated groups per service area — from one group of five staff in 1996 to eight groups with 63 technical employees by 2023.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. PPWSA — Non-revenue water (operator)
Claim 5 clm-a8f84b11aa1beb15 quantitative
Losses fell to 6% by 2008
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The award citation dates the single-digit low: 'Non-Revenue Water (NRW): Declined from 72% (1993) to 6% (2008)' — the independent anchor for the arc.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. SIWI Stockholm Industry Water Award 2010 — announcement
Claim 6 clm-7390bbf26fa77586 quantitative
bill collection rose from 48% to over 98%
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
SIWI gives collection over 98%; The Source gives the 48% baseline of 1993 and 99% later. Two sources, one range.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. SIWI Stockholm Industry Water Award 2010 — announcement
  2. The Source (IWA magazine) — PPWSA's path to progress (2021)
Claim 7 clm-b1db28fc25432bc8 descriptive
SCADA and GIS came later
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The Source places GIS with SCADA and the Sense Water loss-management system after 2015 — after the 1993–2008 turnaround was already complete.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. The Source (IWA magazine) — PPWSA's path to progress (2021)
Claim 8 clm-d9a31468afc2dea4 quantitative
Non-revenue water fell from 72% in 1993 to 6% in 2008
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The independent award citation carries exactly this arc.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. SIWI Stockholm Industry Water Award 2010 — announcement
Claim 9 clm-c18d9057ea1c31d0 quantitative
24-hour supply reaching about 90% of a city of 1.3 million
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The 2010 citation states both the coverage share and the continuous-service claim: 'Coverage: 90% to a city of 1.3 million residents … PPWSA today provides 24-hour service.'
Caveat
The city has grown well past 1.3 million since; the figure describes 2010.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. SIWI Stockholm Industry Water Award 2010 — announcement
Claim 10 clm-9295353a5a047a79 descriptive
no state operating subsidy
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
An independent statement of cost recovery, not an operator claim: the utility operates 'without subsidies from the state'.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. SIWI Stockholm Industry Water Award 2010 — announcement
Claim 11 clm-4f90eeee54e4d818 descriptive
It has since drifted back up
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The most recent source names ageing and expansion as pressures on the loss rate; its 2023 figure sits well above the 2008/09 low.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. IWA — Building a Resilient Water Future for Phnom Penh (2025)
Claim 12 clm-be389d3c3064bc6c quantitative
PPWSA puts the loss rate at 8.75% for 2023
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The operator-reported figure, attributed as such: 'This rate decreased to approximately 8.75% in 2023.' The IWA gives 8.93% for the same year — the two are not averaged.
Caveat
Operator's own figure; the IWA's 8.93% for the same year shows the measurement is not settled.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. PPWSA — Non-revenue water (operator)
Claim 13 clm-93c5d27785b5d516 quantitative
SCADA, GIS and spot-billing arrived only after 2015
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The Source dates the digital layer: GIS/SCADA/Sense Water after 2015, spot-billing from mid-2017.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. The Source (IWA magazine) — PPWSA's path to progress (2021)
Claim 14 clm-155500b4b5da08fd descriptive
as the network aged and spread
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The IWA names urbanisation, infrastructural expansion and the ageing system as the causes of rising losses: the 'supply system ages and leakage becomes more difficult to control'.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. IWA — Building a Resilient Water Future for Phnom Penh (2025)
Claim 15 clm-7281b1689c3d9b48 quantitative
losses climbed back from a 5.9% low at the end of 2009
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The Source gives the precise low point and its date — '5.9% by the end of 2009'; the rise is the gap between this and the 2023 figure on PPWSA's own page.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. The Source (IWA magazine) — PPWSA's path to progress (2021)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-08-20-source-dates-r2 effective 2026-08-17 · created 2026-08-21

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:88c6501de1014e3a3db405446042a86d215cfb4d589956d60c7072a94abd5e00
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
15
of 15 claims mapped
7
source dossiers
4
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA)
Actor types
utility
Funding model
mixed
Funding description
Tariff revenue, no state operating subsidy; Bakheng capital works co-financed by AFD, EIB and the EU
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

7 source dossiers

PPWSA — Non-revenue water (operator) ppwsa.com.kh · 5 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-8e8f1f55e07367c7
Publisher
Name not classified · ppwsa.com.kh
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-17
Dossier created
2026-08-21
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Operator's own NRW page: 72% in 1993, 12.61% of connections metered in 1993, meters on all household connections from 1994, Class B→C meter upgrade from 1997, 8 water-loss groups with 63 technical staff by 2023, and 8.75% for 2023. Fetched 2026-08-17.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
SIWI Stockholm Industry Water Award 2010 — announcement wateronline.com · 5 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-868c00d88a1e3bba
Publisher
Name not classified · wateronline.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2010-06-04
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-17
Dossier created
2026-08-21
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Independent award citation with the core figures: 72% (1993) → 6% (2008), collection over 98%, 90% coverage of a city of 1.3 million, 24-hour service, no state subsidy. SIWI's own winner page now 404s; this announcement carries the jury text.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
The Source (IWA magazine) — PPWSA's path to progress (2021) thesourcemagazine.org · 4 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-d875914f258b27e7
Publisher
Name not classified · thesourcemagazine.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2021-11-26
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-17
Dossier created
2026-08-21
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

26 November 2021: NRW above 70% (1993) → 5.9% at end-2009; collection 48% → 99%; 333,288 connections in 2020; GIS with SCADA and the Sense Water loss-management system after 2015; spot-billing from mid-2017.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
IWA — Building a Resilient Water Future for Phnom Penh (2025) iwa-network.org · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-176b42db6752f691
Publisher
Name not classified · iwa-network.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-12-18
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-17
Dossier created
2026-08-21
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

18 December 2025, the most recent source found. Gives 8.93% for 2023 (PPWSA's own page says 8.75% — the two are not averaged), and attributes the rise to urbanisation, expansion and an ageing network.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
PPWSA — History (operator) ppwsa.com.kh · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-f5c283ee4439b583
Publisher
Name not classified · ppwsa.com.kh
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-17
Dossier created
2026-08-21
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Founding by Royal Decree 164NS of 24 March 1960; 72% loss in 1993; 365,120 customers at end-2018. PPWSA has been listed on the Cambodia Securities Exchange since 2012.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Biswas & Tortajada (2010), Int. J. Water Resources Development 26(2) tandfonline.com · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-a88c519d262fea8e
Publisher
Name not classified · tandfonline.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-17
Dossier created
2026-08-21
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The peer-reviewed independent study of this turnaround. Listed for the record — the full text was not retrievable during this review, so no figure in this entry is attributed to it.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Smart Water Magazine — Bakheng plant construction start (2021) smartwatermagazine.com · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b6a75138724f33d2
Publisher
Name not classified · smartwatermagazine.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2021-02-02
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-08-17
Dossier created
2026-08-21
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The current capital programme: capacity from 600,000 to about 1,000,000 m³/day; AFD $186.4M, EIB $100M, EU $15M grant, PPWSA $80M; construction started February 2021.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Known limits of this passport
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇿🇦 Johannesburg Water: Pressure Control and Night-Flow Telemetry Against 46% Losses · Johannesburg The inverse outcome on the same axis: Joburg's losses sit above 45% under audit — Phnom Penh cut 72% to single digits on meters. 🇹🇷 ISKI Centralized SCADA Water Balancing Strategy · Istanbul Istanbul instruments the network (SCADA/DMA, 22.3% to 18.6%); Phnom Penh reached single digits on customer meters first. 🇳🇪 CityTaps Prepaid Smart Water Meters · Niamey The donor-metering failure against the meter-led success: Niamey's meters had no working supply behind them.

Explore the wider context

📟 A Reading Is Not a Decision💧 Water guide🏙️ Phnom Penh city profile📡 Data & IoT projects🚱 Running out of water📖 District metering area (DMA)📖 Non-revenue water (NRW)📖 Prepaid metering
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “PPWSA: Metering Out a 72% Water Loss” — Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/phnom-penh-ppwsa-water/ (last verified 2026-08-17). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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