Mekong, a river in chains
Long-term project with various clients (2013-2023)
Ruom have spent the last ten years documenting how industrial development and climate change have affected the most important river in Southeast Asia. This expansive project covers Mekong communities in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and whose very survival is inextricably entwined with the river.
Tens of millions of lives count on the Mekong for fishing and farming. But there are ever increasing signs that this river - with one of the richest ecosystems on Earth - is being slowly strangled. Intensifying climate change and sand dredging to support construction and fuel Cambodia’s exponential economic growth have scientists worried. Tensions are rising with the construction of a series of Chinese-funded dams upstream, which some suggest are causing draughts and dwindling fishing catches for downstream communities. Hydroelectric dam activity in the upper Mekong is reshaping a fragile ecosystem that plays such a vital role in Southeast Asian food supply, feeding more than 80 million farmers and fisherfolk.
Fisherman like Piseth and his family, who live on the edge of the Tonle Sap lake, are experiencing first-hand the consequences of climate change and hydroelectric dams on the Mekong. Yet their voices are going largely unheard. As climate change forces people to choose between protecting nature or their own economic survival, what is the future for the Mekong's river communities? And will technological solutions be implemented before it is too late?
Team
This long-term project has been supported by a range of collaborators over the years, with Ruom members playing adaptive roles.
Producers/ Directors of Photography | Thomas Cristofoletti, Robin Narciso, Nicolas Axelrod & Andy Ball
Photographers | Thomas Cristofoletti, Nicolas Axelrod & Andy Ball
Writers | Marta Kasztelan
Translators | Roun Ry, Simouy Seng, Vutha Srey
Fixers | Vutha Srey, Tra
This project has been published by…
Featured work
Mekong River crisis
Journey through Cambodia where the Mekong river is feared to be in crisis. For BBC News, Ruom and Laura Bicker visit communities whose livelihoods rely on the Mekong and meets a new generation trying to breathe life into the dying river.
Featured work
“Today, bare trunks and branches protrude from the water and in some parts of the river, trees lay collapsed, bearing an intricate web of airborne roots.”
- South China Morning Post
Featured work
Lost Lands
As Cambodia’s appetite for sand explodes, two families whose livelihoods depend on the Mekong share their stories of how sand dredging is causing pain and concerns for the future.
Featured work
The last breath of the Tonle Sap
Fisherman Piseth and his family live on the edge of the Tonle Sap Lake. Fish stocks have plummeted and the family is becoming increasingly worried about how they are going to feed themselves.
All work
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The Laos Dam Collapse | South China Morning Post
At 8pm on Monday, July 23 2018, a susidiary dam on the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower complex in southern Laos burst. At least 39 people are dead and 97 people are still missing. Weeks after the survivors are recounting the horror of that day.
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Lost Lands | University of Southampton & South China Morning Post
Two families who rely on the river for a living share their stories of how sand dredging is causing pain and concerns for the future.
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Last Breath of the Tonle Sap | South China Morning Post
Sok Piseth’s family has lived off the fish in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake for generations. During the rainy season, the lake expands up to five times in size, creating a unique ecosystem that regularly brings new life to the lake and its surrounding wetlands.
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The last chance to save the Mekong | BBC
The Mekong flows for nearly 5,000km (3,100 miles) from Himalayan glaciers in Tibet, through China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia before reaching the South China Sea in Vietnam. Its fast and powerful flow earned it the title “mighty Mekong”. As the planet heats up, successive droughts are diminishing this mighty flow.
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How dams in China are destroying livelihoods downstream in Cambodia | South China Morning Post
The demise of a flooded forest in the Mekong River, blamed on high-volume dams in China, and to a lesser extent Laos, is robbing Cambodians of vital income.
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Once upon a river: Mekong | Channel News Asia
We traverse Cambodia to understand the needs of fast growing economy which expects an 80 percent in electric demand over the next 20 years. What impact will this development have on the environment and water security in the region?
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Upstream dams are drowning Cambodia’s protected flooded forest | Third Pole
High water levels during the dry season at the Stung Treng Ramsar site have been catastrophic for its unique ecosystem and residents.
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The Earthshot Prize: Mekong | The BBC
Led by Prince William, founder of the Earthshot Prize, and Sir David Attenborough, the series looks past the problems we face and onto the solutions that promise to deliver us all a sustainable world in which both nature and humanity can thrive.
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“We are harassed, intimidated, threatened” | Der Spiegel
A group of young activists is fighting against massive environmental destruction in Cambodia. They are repeatedly a target of the government, and some have already had to go to prison for their involvement.
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Is Cambodia’s thirst for sand putting communities and the Mekong at risk? | Third Pole
The Cambodian government is embarking on a number of ambitious development projects, which critics say come at the expense of the environment and people’s livelihoods
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The insatiable hunger for land | Der Spiegel
In a gigantic land reclamation project, huge amounts of sand are being lifted from the Mekong to drain a wetland off Phnom Penh. Building land is to be created there – at the expense of people and the environment.
