In this intimate account of one of the world’s most productive inland fisheries, Troubling the Water explores how the rapid destruction of a single lake in Cambodia is upending the lives of millions. The abundance of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Lake helped grow the country for millenia and gave rise to the Kingdom of Angkor. Fed by the rich, mud-colored waters of the powerful Mekong River, the lake owes its vast bounty to an ecological miracle that has captivated poets, artisans, and explorers throughout history.
But today, the lake is dying. Hydropower dams hold back billions of gallons of water and disrupt critical fish migration paths. On the lake, illegal fishing abetted by corruption is now unstoppable. A fast-changing climate, meanwhile, has seen a string of devastating droughts.
Troubling the Water follows ordinary Cambodians coping with the rapid erasure of a long-held way of life. Drawing on years of reporting in Cambodia, Abby Seiff traces the changes on the Tonle Sap—weaving together vivid stories of those most affected with sharp insight into one of the most threatened lakes in the world. For the millions who depend on it, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Author(s): Abby Seiff
Publisher: Potomac Books
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 160
City: Lincoln
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
List of Illustrations
A Note on Translations
Prologue
1. The Tiger Depends on the Forest
2. Where There Is Water, There Are Fish
3. Don’t Let a Hungry Man Guard Rice
4. Navigate a River by Following Its Bends
5. When the Water Recedes, the Ant Eats the Fish
6. Do Not Rely on the God of Mercy
7. Spare Yourself One Hundred Days of Tears
8. Frogs Get Lost in Lakes
9. The Gourd Sinks, Broken Glass Floats
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
