.jpg "Phnom Penh City")
It’s the largest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia, the life blood of Cambodian fishing industry. It derives from Mekong River which is on the longest river in Asia, flowing 4500 kilometers from Hamalaya mountain of Tibet China, it was elevation of about 5000 meters running through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and to South China Sea. The combination of water flowing into the lake, and the backup of the Tonle Sap River swells the lake to 5-times its size in the dry season. This increase in size floods the surrounding flood plain and forests, creating an incredibly diverse and rich eco-system. The Mekong river from as far away as Phnom Penh, reverses the direction of the Tonle Sap river to bring an over flow of water and silt to support both rice growing and breeding fish of many sizes and vessel and moving between the floating homes, school, shop and small fish-farms you will experience close up, daily lake life.
In many parts of the world, particularly the Asia-Pacific, people face an uncertain future because of rising sea levels. Islands such as Kiribati are sinking into the ocean and Bangladesh suffers from devastating floods. Yet some regions are able to adapt and take advantage of seasonal floods. One such village is Kompong Khleang in Cambodia. Kompong Khleang is located in the flood plain of the Tonlé Sap, the biggest lake in South-East Asia. The water level of the lake fluctuates greatly throughout the year so the villagers live either in houses built on stilts or on floating platforms.
During the Wet Season, from October - January, the Mekong River floods into the Tonlé Sap and the surrounding area. By February - March the water begins to recede so that by April the outer areas of the lake are dry. Now the villages are no longer 'floating', but perch on stilts 10 meters above the ground. Because of the regularity of the flooding and the gradual rise of the flood plain, the villagers of Kompong Khleang have been able to build a permanent community within the flood plain of the lake. Its population is estimated between 10 000 - 20 000 people who live in harmony with the changing ecosystem that the lake provides, mostly fishing in the lake and farming in the rich flood plains around it. In Kompong Khleang you can see a range of activities. The centre of the village, which is actually an island, is busy with its markets, shops, pagoda and schools, whereas a short distance away, century-old traditions continue as residents of every age prepare the smoked and dried fish that will be sold in stores across Cambodia and South-East Asia.
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