{"id":20077306,"date":"2021-07-30T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?post_type=photo_story&#038;p=77306"},"modified":"2022-11-01T21:18:10","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T15:48:10","slug":"cambodia-sand-mining","status":"publish","type":"photo_story","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Cambodia\u2019s thirst for sand putting communities and the Mekong at risk?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sophea Soung has been farming on Boeung Tompoun, one of the few remaining lakes in Cambodia\u2019s capital Phnom Penh, since 2009. Every day, her family rises with the sun to float through verdant waters on a slender boat and harvest vegetables, which they then transport to sell at the local fresh produce market.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mother of three cannot imagine doing anything else for a living. But she has just learnt that her plot will soon disappear under mounds of sand. \u201cI have loans and I don\u2019t have any plans for running another business,\u201d she says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-006.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-006-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-006-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-006.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">Sophea Soung has been cultivating vegetables \u2013 such as this water mimosa \u2013 in Phnom Penh\u2019s Tompoun Lake for over a decade, but her livelihood is now under threat (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a> \/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-006.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"807 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-011.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-011-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-011-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-011.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">Tompoun is part of an area of wetlands south of the Cambodian capital that is being reclaimed for property development (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-011.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"1 MB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"799\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Tompoun and adjacent Cheung Ek wetlands spill over 1,500 hectares in the south of the city. According to human rights <a href=\"https:\/\/www.licadho-cambodia.org\/reports\/files\/231Smoke%20on%20the%20Water_Eng_Final..pdf\">watchdogs<\/a>, 90% of their area has been slated for a massive property-development project, ING City. Since 2004, the lakes have been gradually filled with sand from the nearby <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/what-are-the-impacts-of-dams-on-the-mekong-river\/\">Mekong<\/a> and Bassac rivers to create land for the venture. When completed, the complex will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.licadho-cambodia.org\/reports\/files\/231Smoke%20on%20the%20Water_Eng_Final..pdf\">feature<\/a> opulent villas, condominiums, supermarkets, an international private school and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rising-demand-for-sand\"><strong>Rising dem<\/strong>and for sand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While it might be among the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.licadho-cambodia.org\/reports\/files\/231Smoke%20on%20the%20Water_Eng_Final..pdf\">most ambitious<\/a> Cambodian land-reclamation projects in terms of scale, ING City is by no means unique. Phnom Penh has been experiencing a construction <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/cambodia-construction\/chinese-demand-drives-construction-boom-in-cambodia-idUSL3N1PB2YA\">boom<\/a>, which in the past decade has seen <a href=\"https:\/\/teangtnaut.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/STT-Facts-and-Figures-40-Last-lakes-_ENG_Final.pdf\">16 lakes filled completely<\/a>. Another 10 are currently being filled. This has put lakeside residents\u2019 livelihoods at risk and has led to a rising demand for sand in Cambodia, which is often taken from the <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/climate\/new-platform-aims-to-reveal-dam-and-climate-impacts-on-the-mekong\/\">Mekong River<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-022.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-022-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-022-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-022.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">Sand is being used to fill Tompoun Lake to create land for a massive development called ING City (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-022.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"969 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"799\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The economic slowdown spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic didn\u2019t stop the developers. They kept inching closer to Soung\u2019s farm as she plunged further into debt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pandemic has emptied many markets, while the middlemen buying Sophea\u2019s produce pinched her fees. \u201cI don\u2019t have enough money to buy food for my family and I get less for my vegetables,\u201d she says. Amidst it all, the news that she would be losing her lifeline without any compensation came as a shock.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This, according to Soeung Saran, executive director of land rights group STT, is at odds with the law. \u201cShe should get a fair compensation for what she lost,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople are still worrying about losing their livelihoods. The government never consulted them. Their future is still in limbo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-037.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-037-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-037-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-037.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">A heavily laden barge brings sand to another reclamation area on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Koh Norea satellite city will cost an estimated USD 2.5 billion. (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-037.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"812 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">The sand is mixed with water, then pumped from the barges to the land reclamation area through pipes (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"732 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sophea Soung\u2019s is one of a thousand farming and fishing families whose livelihoods and homes are threatened by what could be Cambodia\u2019s largest land-reclamation project, says a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.licadho-cambodia.org\/reports\/files\/231Smoke%20on%20the%20Water_Eng_Final..pdf\">report<\/a> jointly published by local human rights groups last year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-increased-environmental-risks\"><strong>Increased environmental risks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The destruction of the wetlands, which act as a wastewater treatment and flood-prevention system, the report says, will also have far-reaching consequences for the environment and will expose more than one million people to increased risk of flooding.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phnom Penh City Hall spokespersons did not respond to The Third Pole\u2019s requests for comment. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-cambodia-landrights-environment-trfn-idUSKCN24S000\">Last year<\/a>, government spokesperson Phay Siphan told Reuters that the project was necessary for the city\u2019s development, assuring that an environmental impact assessment had been conducted, and measures addressing wastewater and flooding taken.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-051.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-051-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-051-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-051.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">Phnom Penh is in the midst of a construction boom. Across the Bassac River from the Koh Norea satellite city is Koh Pich (Diamond Island), home to some of the city\u2019s most ostentatious building projects. (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-051.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"756 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-069.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-069-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-069-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-069.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">Many of the new developments are luxury residences. Situated to the north of the capital, the Grand Phnom Penh International City was built on land reclaimed from the Boeung Reach Sei Lake. (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-069.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"869 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-053.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-053-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-053-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-053.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">Phnom Penh\u2019s rapid expansion outwards is being mirrored in the city centre, where tower blocks are transforming the skyline. As the main ingredient in cement, sand is in high demand here too. (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-053.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"830 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The race to create more land and feed the construction industry could have increasingly disastrous consequences elsewhere along the Mekong River, as sand found on the lakebed is the main ingredient in cement.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sand is far more than a building block for cities. It also makes up the spine of the river. Without a fresh influx of sand to replenish the riverbed, erosion eats into the banks, sometimes leading to their collapse.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-029.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-029-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-029-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-029.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">Much of the sand being used to feed the construction boom in Phnom Penh is being dredged from the Mekong and Bassac rivers (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-029.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"500 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Experts have long warned of the cumulative impacts of unbridled sand mining and mainstream dams. \u201cThe payback is coming,\u201d says Marc Goichot, WWF\u2019s freshwater lead for the Asia Pacific.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"wp-block-cd-related-news alignright block--related-news loading\" data-post-id=\"20033151\"><div class=\"block--related-news__image\"><\/div><div class=\"block--related-news__content\"><span class=\"block--related-news__heading\">Recommended<\/span><span class=\"block--related-news__title\"><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Upstream hydroelectric power dams straddling the Mekong \u2013 11 in China and two in Laos \u2013 have already trapped 80% of the river\u2019s sediment load. \u201cThis ratio is probably greater for coarse sediment, so we have lost more than three-quarters of the sand,\u201d says Goichot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever is left gets scooped out or dredged, increasingly at rates that raise concerns about the sustainability of river mining.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-075.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-075-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-075-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-075.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">Upstream hydropower dams on the Mekong and its tributaries are trapping sediment. This, combined with high levels of sand extraction, has led to increased erosion, not only in Vietnam\u2019s delta region but also in Cambodia. (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-075.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"729 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"799\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dangerous-extraction-rates\"><strong>Dangerous extraction rates<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A study published in 2020 in the journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41893-019-0455-3\">Nature Sustainability<\/a> estimates that the amount of sand flowing downstream to the Mekong Delta is significantly smaller than current extraction rates in the region, linking sand mining to \u201cbank instability potentially damaging housing and infrastructure and threatening lives\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Figures supplied to The Third Pole by the Ministry of Mines and Energy indicate that the sand mining craze in Cambodia has only just begun. The extraction rate from the Mekong and Bassac rivers rose from 6 million cubic metres in 2019 to 11.7 million in 2020. Extraction in 2021 is projected to exceed 10 million cubic metres \u2013 the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justintools.com\/unit-conversion\/volume.php?k1=cubic-meters&amp;k2=olympic-size-swimming-pool\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">equivalent<\/a>&nbsp;of 4,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-045.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-045-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-045-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-045.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">The destruction of the wetlands around Phnom Penh will expose the city to a greater risk of flooding, according to an NGO report released in 2020 (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-045.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"1,001 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"799\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-046.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-046-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-046-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-046.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">The severe flooding in Cambodia last year damaged dozens of garment factories and impacted more than 130,000 families (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-046.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"673 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Goichot, these volumes are well above replenishment rates, which annually stand at 5 million cubic metres. \u201cSo by definition if you extract more than the entire basin produces then it is not sustainable,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the future even if we reduce the sand extraction in Cambodia we\u2019ll still have a problem. Houses will be falling into the river.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While to date this has predominantly been an issue further downstream in the <a href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/energy\/mekong-delta-homes-lost\/\">Mekong Delta<\/a> in Vietnam, where an area the size of the Netherlands has been sinking, some Cambodians have already lost their homes to the river.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.khmertimeskh.com\/50846020\/people-live-in-fear-as-mekong-riverbanks-collapse\/\">April<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.khmertimeskh.com\/50861647\/four-homes-collapse-into-the-mekong-river\/\">May<\/a>, a number of houses and businesses 30 minutes north of Phnom Penh crumbled into the Mekong, with residents reportedly blaming nearby sand-dredging operations for their plight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cd-story-image block--story-image\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><div class=\"block--story-image__column\"><div class=\"block--story-image__image\"><img class=\"lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-056.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-056-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-056-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-056.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 768px, (max-width: 999px) 1024px, (max-width: 1400px) 1400px, (max-width: 2000px) 2000px, 1200px\" alt=\"Cambodia\"\/><\/div><div class=\"block--story-image__content\"><div itemprop=\"caption\" class=\"block--story-image__caption\">A girl plays with a kite on an area of wetland that has been filled with sand for property development on the outskirts of Phnom Penh (Image \u00a9\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomascristofoletti.com\/\">Thomas Cristofoletti<\/a>\u00a0\/ Ruom)<\/div><\/div><\/div><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-056.jpg\"\/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"534 KB\"\/><meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"800\"\/><meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"1200\"\/><meta itemprop=\"author\"\/><meta itemprop=\"representativeOfPage\" content=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In their statement to The Third Pole, the Ministry of Mines and Energy refuted villagers\u2019 allegations and asserted that all sand-mining operations have undergone a social and environmental impact assessment, while houses have been falling into the river due to natural causes beyond their control. Sand mining along the Mekong, the ministry said, is sustainable and \u201chas contributed to stimulating the country\u2019s economic development\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The images in this story can be republished as part of this article, but not independently of it. Credit information should not be changed.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Editor&#8217;s note: An earlier version of this article stated that sand extraction from the Mekong and Bassac rivers measured 10 million cubic metres in the first quarter of 2021. Following clarification with the Ministry of Mines and Energy, this has been corrected to state that 10 million cubic metres is the projected extraction for 2021 as a whole, while extraction in 2020 exceeded 11.7 million cubic metres.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cambodian government is embarking on a number of ambitious development projects, which critics say come at the expense of the environment and people\u2019s livelihoods<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20077344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[1],"tags":[559,566],"country":[20029278],"class_list":["post-20077306","photo_story","type-photo_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-land-rights","tag-mining","country-cambodia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Is Cambodia\u2019s thirst for sand putting communities at risk?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cambodia is embarking on ambitious sand mining projects, which critics say come at the expense of the environment and people\u2019s livelihoods\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Cambodia\u2019s thirst for sand putting communities and the Mekong at risk?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cambodia is embarking on ambitious sand mining projects, which critics say come at the expense of the environment and people\u2019s livelihoods\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dialogue Earth\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-01T15:48:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/\",\"name\":\"Is Cambodia\u2019s thirst for sand putting communities at risk?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-30T07:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-01T15:48:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"Cambodia is embarking on ambitious sand mining projects, which critics say come at the expense of the environment and people\u2019s livelihoods\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/uncategorized\/cambodia-sand-mining\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sand_cambodia-003.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"January 5, 2013 - Phnom Penh (Cambodia). 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