OPINION: After Banning Sugary Drinks, Cambodia Must Guarantee Clean Water for Every Student

Future Forum's junior research fellow, Khem Chanra was published in The Cambodianess on October 22nd, 2025. Check out the original article HERE, and read it below!

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This photo taken on June 27, 2018 shows Cambodian students leaving after a class at a primary school, seen in the background, in Kampong Chhnang province. Photo by AFP

On a recent trip to Svay Rieng province, I visited a local school. The school had installed a biosand filtration system for drinking water consumed by students. Biosand filters are typically household water filtration systems that use sand and gravel filters to remove pathogens and suspended solids, purifying water for consumption.

It was encouraging to see students fill up their bottles with clean and safe water. It reminded me of my own experiences at primary school. I had no option but to fill a bottle with clean drinking water and pay 1,000 riel ($0.25) for bottled water at the vendors located right outside the school premises.

It has been 15 years since I left high school, but many Cambodian primary schools still do not provide students with safe drinking water. They are either purchasing bottled water or drinks that are laden with large amounts of sugar.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Hun Manet took note of the issue and said sugary drinks were contributing to rising diabetes levels in Cambodia. He made the Ministry of Education ban the sale of sugary drinks at all public and private schools and educational institutions.

This is a commendable move, but the next step must be to provide students with a healthy alternative to sugary drinks. The government should make clean drinking water accessible to all students across schools in Cambodia.

Quality of Water in Schools

Cambodian schools are supposed to provide drinking water for students, but there is no consistency in implementing access to water, and what is available can often be unsafe and unclean to drink.

A WHO/UNICEF joint monitoring program (JMP) report from 2023 showed that 86 percent of schools in Cambodia had a basic water service and 11 percent had no water service. The report also mentioned that 89 percent of urban schools provided basic drinking water services, dropping to 73 percent in rural schools.

Most schools relied on open wells or rainwater tanks to store water for drinking or a lake, but these sources of water would either dry up during the summer or become contaminated during the monsoons. One research conducted in eight schools at Tro Pang Chhor Commune found that seven schools had untreated water sources, while three schools were tested positive of E.coli in primary water sources.

Based on separate research from UNICEF, young children at home consume water with high levels of coliform (76.6 percent) and E.coli bacteria (46.3 percent). Even piped water and well water showed critical E.coli contamination levels of 36 percent.

The MoEYS has integrated the clean water supply activities into the Education Strategic Plan and set the indicators to achieve them 100 percent in 2025. From 2016 to 2020, The ministry of Economy and Finance has provided budgets to educational institutes to build latrines and clean water networks, around 250 places annually.

However, clean water, sanitation and hygiene status in Cambodia have not met the basic needs yet in spite of multi-disciplinary efforts. Based on the National Action Plan on School report, only 89.7 percent accessed clean water service in the academic year 2019-2020. 

Without safe and clean drinking water options, students will naturally rely on bottled water or energy drinks, which are purchased in the school or from vendors outside the premises. This results in significant risks as students because they are now consuming high levels of sugar and caffeine daily, which contributes to an increase in non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as cancers, diabetes, and heart diseases.

According to the Clinton Health Access Initiative, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes and hypertension, are among the leading causes of illness and mortality in Cambodia, responsible for 23 percent of all premature deaths in Cambodia.

School Water Filters

One quick solution is to provide students with clean drinking water by installing water filtration systems that use reverse osmosis (RO) or ultrafiltration (UF) units. These filtration systems can purify existing sources of water in schools, such as municipal water lines, wells, or storage tanks, and remove bacteria, heavy metals, and sediment to provide safe drinking water.

Regarding the potential health benefits, drinking clean and filtered water can prevent waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid, according to the WHO. Furthermore, access to clean drinking water improves brain function, as reported by SOS International. A study from Alicante University showed that water bottles are the most consumed product, accounting for 50 percent of all bottles sold in vending machines in Spain.

Similarly, it is common practice in Cambodia to consume bottled water even if options for water dispensers are available, revealing consumer skepticism over the quality of the water.

Students will save money if they do not have to buy water from the vendors. In one study from Mexico, 45 percent of students saved money and improved their health by using drinking fountains at school. Additionally, a case study done by Clear Cambodia through its School WASH project at Svay Chrum Primary School in Svay Rieng province showed that the lack of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities reduced school attendance by 5 percent to 3.5 percent and passing rates from 80 percent to 85 percent.

Start with a Pilot, Scale Nationwide Later

It will take little effort to start a pilot program in six primary schools in both urban and remote areas, especially schools that currently lack access to clean and safe drinking water. The project can kick off by providing water dispensers (two to three devices in each school), and later expand to install more permanent solutions, like a Biosand filtration system for the schools.

Using existing government data, there are, on average, 300 to 400 students in every primary school. Also, filtered water dispensers (the ones with cold and hot water options) can cost around $400, with another $150 in maintenance costs a year. Assuming each water dispenser can serve 100 students a day, a school will need at least four devices. The estimated cost is as follows:

Region	No. of primary schools	No. of Water Filtration systems	Price per unit	Maintenance per unit	Total price for filters and maintenance
Urban	3	12	$400	$150	$6,600
Remote	3	12	$400	$150	$6,600
				Total	$13,200

We are using market or retail costs for these water filtration devices, so yes, the listed costs are on the higher side. However, costs can be lowered by using large-scale procurement or public-private partnerships. But, even at $13,200 a year for six schools with 2,400 students, it is worth the proposed costs when one considers the benefits of young children having access to clean drinking water.

Who will Lead this Pilot Program?

The Ministry of Education must take the lead on this pilot project by allocating a small budget and seeking partnerships with stakeholders to fund or supply the water filters. The filters and maintenance schedule must adhere to national standards, and we strongly recommend surprise inspections to ensure that schools are keeping the devices in working condition.

This brings us to an important stakeholder: teachers and parents. It is imperative that the ministry garner buy-in from teachers and school administrators and empower them to make it a priority that students have clean and safe drinking water. Parental involvement is also important. They need to encourage their children to bring reusable bottles and instill good water-drinking habits at home.

Once we have the results of this pilot project, we propose that it will be possible to scale up to all schools across the country or consider more expensive options, like biosand filtration systems.

A Small Step with Big Impact

Banning energy drinks was a bold first move. Now, Cambodia must take the next step: Ensure every child has access to safe and free drinking water at school.

Water filters should not be seen as merely part of the school infrastructure, but as investments in the health and education of students. Starting with a targeted pilot project in Phnom Penh and Kampong Chhnang, this initiative can ensure that Cambodian students learn and grow in a healthy environment.

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