One Day Witnessing the Richness of the Mighty Mekong

Yesterday, I had a great honour, through my work trip, to go and visit two significant place on Sambo district, Kratie province. We first traveled by our car from the provincial town to Koh Khnher village which is over an hour drive from the provincial town. Our first stop was an hour meeting with the 10 members of community fishery committee. We discussed about the changes, the challenges and the strategy to overcome those challenges, community experiences addressing the illegal fishing that occurs too frequently in the daily lives of this community.

The catch of few family on the day of our visit.

It was 11.30 am by the time we finished the first meeting. We thought of getting out lunch first but our schedule for the afternoon meeting would start at 2pm in a nearby village. So instead of going straight to lunch, we went into two boats and started our trip through the stream between two main island along the Mekong River. I have been on the boating trip so many times since I started my work on water governance but i always find pleasure in the boating trip along the Mekong river. At this time of the year, the river bank gardens offer such a greenish view against the clear blue sky and the light brown colour of the water in the river. Occassionally, we passed by villagers/women washing their clothes or bathing along the bank; family members returning from trips to market or nearby area; buffalos playing in the water with the white birds jumping on the backs of those animals. it is such a very joyous experiences to go through. 

After we came through the flooded forest/shrub and exit the area into the main body of the river, the Mekong offers the vast size of the water and a spectacular natural beauty. Our first point of visit is the Anlung Ko Ky deep pool, the significant spawning ground and habitats to a great many types of fish species in this region. At November time of the year, the deep pool does not so much demonstrate the mighty of the pool but the areas stretch over some 200 meters in length. After we passed this pool, the driver brought us to a shore line where we can stop by and walked on the small bay. Stepping on the bay, what caught my attention is the golden colour of the sand washed ashore by the gentle waves of the river. this small bay is accompanied by a shaddy tree which provide just enough shades for passer by to take a break if they are on their long journey. We spent about 30 minutes both abosorbing the beauty of the areas, take pictures, chat about the history of the place and then continue our journey to the next deep pool. 

The golden sand found on the bay along the Mekong River in Sambo district.

Along the way, the director of the host organisation chat to me about this and chat, about the length of times he has spent working in this province and the nearby in the last 15 years or so; he also pointed out that it has a great deal of local knowledge for the driver to be able to enter and exit each area without getting lost. he shared with me his own experience of when he was younger and proud of himself about geography online to find himself getting lost among the many forest and river system in this region. When we arrived the second deep pool, we also witnessed so many aquatic plant that could be collected for food. The director told me of a famous politician in the country who regularly request for this particular type of aquatic plant to be collected and delivered to her house in the city to serve as food.  The second deep pool is called Kan Dol 100 - or a 100 rats. Similarly, it is the great home to so many types of fish species.

According to the director of the Fishery Administration cantonment in Kratie province, Sambo district in particularly has a total of 62 deep pool, Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins as well as so many species rich in the river. Besides special types of fish, some of which only available in this region of the country, Mekong River is the main life bloodline for million of people whose main protein intake relies on consumption of fish, aquatic resources, rice and vegetable. Few days prior of my trip, The Diplomat newspaper in the UK published a feature articles features the insecurity of the food system in the region because the Mekong is being dammed in few part of the mainstream and the upcoming plan in the pipeline will only be coming on board  not so long in the future. Sambo is dot on the mapping of the planned by the government. Looking at all the rich resources that the river system has to offer to the people and its ecosystem that have been co-exist for hundred of year, one would wonder by the conduct, the ambition and the un-satisfaction needs human being continue to disturb, harm, and exploit the natural system of the river.

The river has its own life and human being should be erect structure that disturb its way of life!

Let the Mekong River and all other River system in the world a free flowing!

Let the next generation has the privilege to enjoy the richness of the Mighty Mekong the same way we enjoyed before and is enjoying now.

Children playing during break between class in a primary school.

Our esteem driver, Mr Hu

All photos in this post are taken by the author.