SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

11 - Trade and transportIn Cambodia, only those living near a national or provincial road are likely to have year-round roadtransport because roads of lesser importance are rarely built for year-round use. Dependence oninland waterway transport in Cambodia is greatest along the mainstream of the Mekong River,rather than along its tributaries. This is because there are long stretches of the river, such as betweenStung Treng and Kratie, which are relatively remote from national or provincial roads. Altogether,some 970 villages along the Mekong River and its tributaries, housing some 1.36 million Cambodians,are totally dependent on inland waterways for transportation.By contrast in Lao PDR, with the possible exception of some stretches between Kenthao and LuangPrabang, the Mekong River runs close to all-season roads for its entire length. b For communitieslocated along the Mekong’s tributaries in Lao PDR, access is considerably more restricted, especiallywhere (as is the case with the Nam Ou and the Se Kong), these tributaries pass through remote,mountainous terrain. The number of villages in Lao PDR estimated to be wholly dependent oninland waterways for navigation for most of the year is estimated at 915, with a population of about320,000.Figure 1:All-season road access for river populations in CambodiaSources: UN World Food Programme and Mekong River Commission, GIS data bases; Cambodia NationalPopulation Census 1998 and Cambodian Socio-Economic Survey, 1999While road access data for the Mekong Delta region in Viet Nam were not available for this review,modal share data demonstrate the dependence of communities on IWT in the 12 main provinces ofthis region. Annually about 73 percent of the region’s cargo tonnage and about 27 percent of itspassengers travel by water. c In addition, the relatively short average distances for passenger trips oninland waterways in the delta (only 15 km), suggest that waterways are satisfying a crucial need oflocal communities for intra-district transportation. While it is likely that road building projectsalready underway will result in fewer passengers using the waterways, cargo transport is unlikelyto decline. Cargo transport is dominated by rice exports and other trade in agricultural commodities.These use high-capacity bulk transport and transfer facilities of a type that cannot be provided byroad operators.bcWorld Food Programme. 2001. Poverty Indicators. National Statistics Centre and State Planning Committee, Lao PDR,in collaboration with World Food Programme, Vientiane.Viet Nam National Statistical Yearbook, 2000 and information supplied by Viet Nam Inland Waterway Administration(Southern Branch) during MRC mission to Ho Chi Minh City, April 2002.219