the last breath of the Tonle Sap

Fisherman Piseth and his family live on the edge of the Tonle Sap Lake and they’re experiencing first-hand the consequences of climate change and the construction of the hydroelectric dams on the Mekong. Fish stocks have plummeted and the family is becoming increasingly worried about how they are going to feed themselves.

Once, the Tonle Sap lake represented an ideal home for Cambodian fishermen. Its unique hydrological feature, with its surface increasing up to 5 times during the wet season thanks to the water flowing from the Tonle Sap and the Mekong river, provided a reliable source of food and income.

But in recent years climate change, and hydro dam activity in the upper Mekong, is reshaping this fragile ecosystem that plays a vital role in Cambodia’s food supply. 

According to the Mekong River Commission, 2020 has reported the lowest flows of the Tonle Sap river since 1997 and consequently it has never fully reversed jeopardizing the livelihood of fishermen living off the lake.