MRC Regional Consultation Meeting on The Revised Draft “Report on Experiences and Opportunities (June 10, 2021)

Phnom Penh: His Excellency Mr. Kol Vathana, Deputy Secretary General of Cambodia National Mekong Committee (CNMC) has leaded the Cambodian Inter-ministerial Working Group attended the MRC Regional Consultation Meeting on the Revised draft “Report on experiences and opportunities for coordinated operating rules and cooperation arrangements on dam operations”. The members of the Meeting include the Inter-ministerial Working Groups from the four MRC Member Countries, staff of the Planning Division of the MRC Secretariat, and the International Consultant. The Meeting was presided over and chaired by Dr. Ah Pich Hatda, the CEO of the MRC Secretariat. The Cambodian Inter-ministerial Working Group headed by His Excellency Mr. Kol Vathana, Deputy Secretary General of CNMC and participated by the representatives from MOWRAM, MIME, MAFF, MPWT, and CNMCS PNPCA Working Group members.

The Meeting objectives are to:

1.  Discuss the revised report on experiences and opportunities for coordinated operating mechanisms and cooperation arrangements on dam operations, including the matrix of opportunities, scoping opportunities, and proposed pilot testing of preliminary operating and communication protocols

2.  Obtain inputs from Member Countries on national operational information sharing initiatives

3.  Present and discuss proposed actions and next steps for the activity.

The Expected Outputs of the Meeting are:

- A good understanding of the matrix of opportunities for coordinated operations of water infrastructure;

-  A clear view of the key actions for pilot testing; and

-  Agreed proposed next steps.

The Meeting has considered and discussed on the 6 key agenda items, namely

1.  Overview of the revised Report – the scope and framework for consideration of opportunities for water infrastructure operations;

2.  Ongoing MRC efforts on Coordinated Water Infrastructure Operations;

3.  The matrix of opportunities for water infrastructure operation and discussion on the prioritization;

4.  Discussion on governance and communication arrangements for cooperation on water infrastructure operations;

5.  Scoping the opportunities; and

6.  National information sharing mechanism for hydropower operation.