Rithy Huot (MSc IM 12) is part of the Cambodian river cleanup initiative

Rithy Huot (MSc IM 12) is director of department in the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism and one of his roles is to promote the clean and green aspects of his country.

On 18 March he saw the launch of the River Cleanup initiative. "My responsibility in this project was to work closely with my partner River Ocean Cleanup to bring the garbage collection boat to Cambodia."

The garbage collection boat collects data on the location of a type of waste using drones and AI cameras. It can collect up to 30 tons of rubbish in one day.

The campaign to clean Mekong River, Basak River and Sab River will last until June and has three main objectives:

• Cleaning the riverbank 
• Recycling the waste sustainably
• Educating residents of the river banks

Rithy thinks it fitting that the river cleanup project in Cambodia was launched at the same time as alumni initiatives for Around the World that echo the efforts to make the planet cleaner for future generations. "​Hopefully one day our cities will be clean on the ground and in the water", he concludes.