Abstract/Summary

The Water Resources Management Research Capacity Development Programme (WRMRCDP) focuses on research capacity development and knowledge dissemination in the field of water resources management in catchment areas surrounding the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia. The programme is running for five years (July 2006 to June 2011), and is being implemented by the Natural Resources and Environment Unit (NRE) of the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI), with financial support from AusAID, and involvement from collaborating research partners: the University of Sydney (USyd), the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

This working paper is the first large publication of WRMRCDP. This literature review provides a preliminary assessment of water resources management in Cambodia and has been prepared by the water team of WRMRCDP in connection with ongoing capacity building and development activities. The paper examines the existing literature on water resources management in terms of its physical basis, governance/institutional arrangements and legal frameworks, and draws on experience at the international, regional and in-country levels.