Environmental Research in
Cambodia – An NGO Perspective
Andrew Shantz
Laboratory Director
andrew@rdic.org
July 25, 2009
Resource Development International - Cambodia
Summary
 Resource Development
International (RDI) mandate,
philosophy, and scope of work
 Environmental research
 Research partnerships and
linkages
 University Intern Program
 “Bridge” Program
Resource Development International
(RDI)
 Non-governmental organization
working in Cambodia since
2002
 Active leader in the
water/sanitation and education
sectors
 Mandate:
To strive to contribute towards
sustainable solutions for ground
level problems using scientific
principals and supported by
creative education
Mandate: Project Profiles
Ground
Level
Problem
Scientific
Principals
Diarrheal disease
Water filtration
Regional
understanding of
groundwater quality
Laboratory water
analysis
Arsenic crisis
Drinking water
access
Child Literacy
Health and hygiene
promotion
Geo-spatial &
statistical mapping
Hydrogeological
understanding and
construction
engineering
Traditional medicine
Sustainable
Solution
Ceramic water filter
factory
Contamination maps
and risk assessments
Communicating risks
and providing
alternative water
sources
Rope pump wells and
rainwater harvesting
tanks
Creative
Education
Puppetry, songs, and
magic in schools and
on television
Groundwater quality
indexes
Karaoke education
Village-level
communications
Scope of Work
 Water laboratory
 Environmental research
 Education of environmental scientists and engineers
 Ceramic water filter factory
 Construction of improved water sources
 Traditional medicine and village health promotion
 Promotion of sustainable agricultural practices
 Media production studio
 Health and hygiene education in schools and communities
Research Activities
 Groundwater quality in Cambodia
 High density surveying
 Over 7,000 wells tested in 3 provinces
 Arsenic contamination
 Precisely characterized
 Risk maps
 Groundwater quality index
 Simplified representation of groundwater
risk
 Human risk assessments
 Quantifying risks based on population and
tube well reliance
Combining tube well
usage rates and population
and water quality data, it is
estimated that over
100,000 people are
potentially consuming
arsenic contaminated
water in Kandal Province
alone.
Research Activities
 Household drinking water treatment technologies
 Ceramic water filters
 Bacterial and chemical removal efficiency
 Additions and modifications to enhance removal
 Bio-sand filters
 Low-cost filter designs
 Arsenic removal challenge
 Arsenic fate and transport
 Hydrogeological modeling and groundwater dating
 Pesticide usage, practices, and health risks
 Natural wetland wastewater remediation
 Assessment of “improved” water sources
 Mekong River Basin
Research Partnerships
 “Hub” for research students and professors
 Partnered with universities from around the world to solve
environmental problems and work towards sustainable
solutions
 These relationships are vital in bringing knowledge and
capacity into Cambodia
 Foreign students are given the opportunity learn from their
Cambodian counterparts and understand how environmental
problems in the developing world differ from that in the
developed world
 Cambodian staff and students are able to interact with and
learn from foreign researchers and scientists
Intern Program
 RDI accepts 10 to 15 interns from RUPP and ITC every year
 Projects
 Laboratory water testing methods and field data collection
 Student-guided projects
 RDI-guided projects
 Examples
 Sustainable fish harvesting systems
 Arsenic filter challenges
 „Korean‟ filter efficacy
 Small-scale piped water systems
 Temporal study of surface water bodies – water quality and usage
Bridge Program
 Availability of Master‟s positions at universities overseas
 More positions available than capable individuals to fill them
 Bridge Program
 2-year Master‟s preparation course
 Began September 2008
 Seven RUPP graduates from Environmental Science and
Biochemistry
 Next intake in September 2010
 Students learn from visiting professors, researchers, and
scientists – 4 Master‟s accredited modules
 Class, lab, and field work
Bridge Program
 Year 1 activities to-date
Research methods
Experimental design
Budgeting and proposal writing
Drinking water treatment design
Applications of GIS
Hydrology
Introduction to household water
treatment
 Groundwater transport processes and
hydrogeology
 General computer skills and data
manipulation
 Project management
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Bridge Program
 End goals
 Exposure to diverse set of
environmental
science/engineering topics
 Vital skills
 Learning how to learn
 Master‟s placement in a field of
interest
 Challenges
 Funding
 English
General Insights
 Importance of science and
research in finding solutions to
Cambodia-specific
environmental challenges
 Potential in the NGO
community to connect incountry problems to external
expertise
 Importance of generating
internal expertise
 University community
 Progress to-date
Questions and Comments
RDI
www.rdic.org