Cambodian fisher-people look forward to a speedy end to another record dry season, marred by crushing heat and low fish stocks that have become the norm over the last five years amid climate change, dams, and increased competition along the Mekong River.
They say this year has also been the worst in living memory with low water levels in the Mekong and the Tonle Sap, where they meet in Phnom Penh. It has forced many to move upstream along Southeast Asia’s largest river system, where the water is deeper and the fish more plentiful.
“There hasn’t been any rain this year, and I don’t know why. I only know that this year is drier than before, with the river level much lower,” said 30-year-old Smack Ei, near his home on the Chroy Changvar peninsula, which divides the Mekong and the Tonle Sap.
“Whether the river is clean or brackish depends on the season, but that hasn’t changed this year. What has changed is the weather. It’s hotter than usual, and there’s been no rain. Because of this, it’s also harder to find fish. River levels are low, and the water is still brackish,” he said.
Since April, temperatures have often exceeded 40 degrees Celsius across the region, and the El Nino weather phenomenon is partly to blame for Cambodia recording its hottest dry season in 170 years.
Water shortages are not uncommon on land, and this year’s all-important pepper crop, among others, has withered.
School and work hours were sharply reduced, and authorities believe the heat wave was responsible for an explosion at an ammunition storehouse that left 20 soldiers dead.
And on the river, fisher-people are saying it is still too hot and that they spend most of their day resting before casting their nets in the cooler hours of the evening.
“There used to be plenty of fish, but now it’s really hard to find them,” said 39-year-old Ei, who has sailed about 20 kilometers northeast into Prey Veng province.
He said that usually, there’s some rain in April. But this year it’s been dry with no rain. Not even a single drop. It’s extremely hot as well.
“I don’t catch much fish these days. I have to go far away and spend money on fuel. However, I have caught more crayfish than fish this year,” Ei complained.
He said that although he could make some 100,000 Cambodian riel (US$25) daily, he did not have enough money.
“Half of [the income] goes to fuel, and the rest for other expenses,” he said.
Ei also said he and others like him, nearly all Muslim Cham who live on sampans by the water’s edge, had heard stories about upstream dams in Laos and China, which scientists say have been used for water hoarding and depriving downstream communities of their livelihoods.
“I’ve heard about dams but don’t know much about them because I haven’t seen one. I didn’t attend school, so I don’t know many things. I think there aren’t enough fish because there aren’t floods like before. This month, the drought is even worse,” he said.
“We, Khmer Muslim fishing families, can’t compete with big fishing boats. We use traditional gear while they have modern equipment, so they catch all the fish,” Ei said, adding that big boats are owned by companies who can pay staff and afford modern nets and other equipment.
However, his 64-year-old neighbor Sao Mas said her village had prepared for the worst and stockpiled fish ahead of the dry season after long-range forecasters predicted the record-breaking heatwave.
“This year is harder than last year because there is no rain,” she said. “It’s so dry, and the river is very low and hot. But I am not worried because I sold some fish and kept some for myself. Some of us save food and fish so we don’t run out.”
“I don’t know why the weather is like this,” she added. “In previous years, it was less hot but we had more rain.”