Today, it said that around 844 million people across the world do not have easy access to clean, safe water. The reasons are manifold, from geographical and climate-related factors, to a shortage of government funding, a dearth of organizations that can provide and maintain water services, and impacts from natural disasters and conflicts.^*2 Cambodia in Southeast Asia is one of the many nations lacking access to clean water.

A country where past civil wars have negatively impacted water infrastructure, in the capital alone, in 2005 only 37%^*3 of the population had access to safe water. As such, the creation of water infrastructure that could provide more people with safe water for their everyday lives was of vital importance.

Starting in 1959, Kubota’s involvement in waterworks projects in Phnom Penh has continued for more than 60 years. As part of Japan’s war reparations to Cambodia, Kubota Construction’s building of the Chroy Changvar Water Treatment Plant in 1959 was its first overseas project. Later, governmental changes under the Pol Pot regime led to a shortage of funding and manpower, and operation at almost all of the country’s water treatment works was suspended. Although these facilities restarted after the civil war, the damage to the aging pipelines was severe and 72% of the pipelines were leaking.

International society, including Japan, offered its assistance to Cambodia’s recovery, and Kubota too contributed to the cause. In 1994, Kubota joined the Phnom Penh Waterworks Improvement Project, supplying pumps, valves, and other equipment, ductile iron pipes^*4 and other piping, and a monitoring system to ensure appropriate management of water supply volumes and quality. In 2001, Kubota was asked to take part in the Phum Prek Water Treatment Plant Expansion Project, and in addition to carrying out improvement work on existing facilities, the company serviced and expanded the water treatment systems, increasing the plant’s water treatment capacity. In 2006, water coverage in Phnom Penh was said to be at approximately 90%. The success of this waterworks project is known locally as the “Miracle of Phnom Penh.”

Kubota’s continued hard work and desire to respond to local needs was highly regarded, and the company continues to contribute to the improvement of Cambodia’s water systems today. In 2012, Kubota received orders for improvement and expansion work on water pipelines in the provincial cities Pursat, Battambang, and Sihanoukville. Cambodia was aiming to raise domestic drinking water coverage to 80%, and at the time, only 30% of the populations of these three cities had access to safe drinking water. Through its work, Kubota contributed to increased coverage and, by reducing water leakages, improved management at local water bureaus.^*5 In 2019, Kubota took part in the Kampong Thom Waterworks Expansion Project, and is currently working to expand water supplies and bolster water treatment facilities.

Since its founding, Kubota has continued to contribute to society through its water infrastructure technologies. Starting with its first overseas waterworks project in Cambodia, Kubota has gone on to develop an array of businesses in Japan and other countries and regions throughout the world. With its accumulated technologies and concern for solving social issues, somewhere today, somewhere today, Kubota is working to improve water infrastructure to supply more people with safe water.