Water is very necessary for life on this Earth. The same as other areas of the world, water plays an important role to support life in Cambodia. Nearly fifteen million people have recently been living in Cambodia with different kinds of biodiversity in which depend on water resource throughout the country. According to history, life of Cambodian people and water was always united. On the sculpture of Bayon Temple’s wall shows that people living in Angkor City use water to support their daily life as Khmer people today. Water is used with different purposes such as supporting agriculture, using in the house, doing fisheries, and balancing the temple to stand for thousand of years. Water also sustains the ecological system as the way for the life of biodiversity and allows life to exist abundantly. Every where in Cambodia consists of water resource; there are a lot of water in some places & little in other places. However, most of the areas of Cambodia are full of water resource. The main water resource of Cambodia is Tonle Sap Lake (Boeung Tonle Sap) in which covers 3,000 sq km2 in hot season and around 10,000 sq km2 in rainy season. Tonle Sap Lake stores much water for use in the country and provides the living place for abundant biodiversity, especially fish which is the main food for Cambodian citizens. Another source is Mekong River which allows the flow of water from Tibet Area of China to Cambodia. Big amount of water from Mekong River flows into Tonle Sap Lake in rainy season and flows out of it in hot season to lower Mekong River and Bassac River. Besides that, small rivers providing water resources flows from high land, especially from Cardamom Mountain Range (Chuor Phnom Kravanh) and Dangrek Mountain Range (Chuor Phnom Dangrek). Those small rivers are Sangker River, Maung River, Ropov River, Chikreng River, Sereysorphorn River, Bovel River, Meteuk River, Bati River, Sekong River, Sesan River, Siem Reap River, Pursat River, Staung River, Srepok River, Kampot River, Chinit River, Prek Chhlong River, Prek Thnort River, Toch River, Tatai River, East Vay Kor River, West Vay Kor River, and so on. Since then, it is remarked that for the early 20th century, water resource is enough for lives in Cambodia, but now there is a big change that water flow has changed meanwhile the rain is not regular as before. There is a reason for that in which is the block of water at several hydropower dams along upper Mekong River and other branch river of it. It has changed the water flows and ecological system in Cambodia. There is a prediction that one day Cambodia will suffer from those activities done by upper countries of Mekong River. However, it is believed that Cambodia will get no problems if all countries along Mekong River consider more about the effects on Cambodia positively and they can find solution to avoid effects on this small country. “Helping Cambodia is helping the lives of million people and protecting biodiversity of the world.”
By: POK Panhavuth
