President of the Royal Academy of Cambodia expressed his exasperation over one of the Phnom Penh’s largest lakes slowly disappearing due to land reclamation, saying that the lake should be left untouched.
Sok Touch wrote on his Facebook page yesterday: “This morning, on the way to work, I saw people filling in Tamouk Lake. I found it difficult not to use bad language about this.”
“When will the rich in Cambodia stop longing to be rich by reclaiming the lake?” he asked by posting pictures of trucks dumping dirt onto a stretch of the lake in Prek Pnov district.
The government has recently issued a sub-decree to sub-divide areas of the reclaimed lake and hand over the land to state institutions and private companies, while infrastructure will also be constructed.
Touch added: “Ancestors of the Angkorian era dug ponds, canals and moats to store water for agriculture or to prevent flooding. So why do the rich in this new era reclaim the lake for the sake of a dollar. You say you did so for the sake of Cambodian ancestors.”
“Don’t you see all the Khmer temples with moats? Is there a place where Cambodian ancestors lived without an irrigation system and a pond to store water?” Touch asked.
Soeung Saran, executive director of Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) said yesterday that he supported Touch’s idea not to reclaim lakes in Phnom Penh.
“If we look at urban development in neighbouring countries, they strike a balance between water and land to reduce potential and invisible risks,” he said.
Saran added that people are generally keen on development, no matter where they are, but they must clearly assess the social, economic and environmental impacts.
He said all development must be based on legal principles, human rights, and the environment so that the positive effects outweigh the negatives.
Saran urged the government, especially those who make decisions on development, to evaluate and reconsider the impact of development activities in the Tamouk Lake area.
According to the STT report dated February 10, 2022, as of December 2021, more than 2,000 hectares or nearly 65% of the Tamouk or Kob Srov Lake has been granted to companies, state institutions and related individuals by the government.
It added this natural lake has a population of about 1,000 people, or 300 families, most of whom are engaged in fishing, farming, fish farming and small businesses at home.
- Tags: Sok Touch, Tamouk lake