ural
road construction and maintenance is a relatively new responsibility of the Government
of Cambodia. The Government, through its Ministry of Rural Development, is now in the
process of building up its capacity to rehabilitate and maintain a rural road network.
In this work, the Government clearly appreciates the value of utilising local resources, thus applying labour-based methods for road rehabilitation and maintenance. This technology has been effectively developed in Cambodia, showing that it is feasible to build and maintain rural roads efficiently and cost-effectively using methods which also generate income and provide employment in the rural areas.
Casual labour combined with a limited use of light equipment is thus utilised to carry out all road improvement and maintenance operations providing a functional road network which responds to the dire demand for access to and within the rural areas of Cambodia.
- sets out some basic MRD policies and standards on technical issues related to rural road maintenance,
- describes in detail the management procedures for routine maintenance works, and
- provides guidelines on planning of works, work norms, organisation and how works are effectively measured and controlled.
The manual is aimed primarily at the provincial technical staff who are directly involved in rural road maintenance works. In addition, the manual attempts to document the maintenance management system which was established for the rural roads rehabilitated under the Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project.
The first chapter attempts to summarise relevant Government policies regarding rural road maintenance. Chapter 2 defines the various components of road maintenance and describes an effective strategy and organisation which addresses the maintenance requirements of rural roads in Cambodia. Chapter 3 is a brief description of the planning, implementation and reporting cycle required in an effective road maintenance management system. Chapter 4 summarises the contracts management procedures, and finally Chapter 5 contains a detailed description of the planning and reporting system established for the execution of routine maintenance works, engaging local petty contractors using labour-based work methods.