The mighty Mekong River, resembling the flow of life, journeys its way through Southeast Asia while nurturing the creatures and landscape within and around. The water holds flourishing life and mystery beneath its surface that countless Cambodian people rely on for their livelihoods. However, while the river is mighty and strong, riverine ecosystems are ever so fragile. If humans proceed with carelessness, we may lose countless amounts of our river companions. 

The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphins are the most charismatic riverine inhabitants of the river basin. Their uniquely round foreheads and playful acrobatics are one of a kind and attract tourists from around the globe. However, there is a grim reality surrounding the dolphins as their total populations on the Mekong have drastically declined. Today, less than 90 dolphins survive in the Mekong delta. But why are these majestic creatures disappearing at unprecedented rates? 

In a recent interview with a River Guard on Koh Pdao island, the devastating reality of the impact of humans on the dolphin demise revealed itself. Firstly, he shared three reasons why dolphins are killed by humans–they are killed for their oil, recreational hunting, or unintentional fatalities from illegal fishing methods such as unchecked nets, electrofishing, or explosive fishing techniques. However, the River Guard then went on to tell the tale of another dolphin killer: Hydropower dams. 

On September 27th, we visited the massive Don Sahong dam. The 22.5m slab of concrete was as impressive as it was menacing. Looking down at the powerful water storm through the turbines, you could visualize both the productivity and the destruction of the dam. The dam holds eight turbines that each have a 50 megawatt capacity to generate power. This is one of many dams in Cambodia that together supply around 62% of Cambodia’s total electricity. Without these dams, affordable electricity would not be available to countless Khmer people that struggle to make ends meet. The electricity that dams produce allow for light and power to reach every end of Cambodian borders. Productivity comes at a cost though. 

While the dams illuminate homes for countless families, they cause catastrophic damage to marine life, including the endangered charismatic dolphins. After an interview with a local community member from Preah Rumkel who once relied on the Irrawaddy dolphins for ecotourism, we learned about the tragedy that contributed to the extinction of the dolphins in the region. He explains that the dolphins used to reside in the deepest channel of the river where the dam was built. He emphasized that the proximity of dolphins to the dam’s construction exposed them to extreme noise from dynamite and the building of the massive structure. The noise caused harrowing stress, which messed up the echolocation, hunting, and breeding of the dolphins. Dolphins are not the only marine creature that has suffered from the dams construction however. Migratory fish populations have also suffered from altered flow regimes, habitat fragmentation, temperature changes, and toxic sedimentation built up from the dam. Considering that a majority of Cambodian people rely on freshwater fish as their primary protein source, dams have incidentally enhanced food insecurity.

Addressing the issue of dams in Cambodia is seemingly unsolvable due to the lack of compromise they offer–either the dam is constructed prioritizing power generation, or it is not, prioritizing marine life. There have been some innovative solutions such as fish ladders to allow fish to bypass turbines, but these have shown to be fairly ineffective. And as Cambodia continues to develop, electricity demand is exponentially rising. As I mentioned, 62% of electricity in Cambodia comes from hydroelectric, while the other portion mostly comes from burning coal and fossil fuels. Other forms of renewable energy such as solar and wind are available, but the Cambodian climate is not suitable to support these methods. The wet season in Cambodia brings overcast and rainy days for half of the year, which makes solar energy only seasonally effective. Wind patterns in Cambodia are inconsistent as well making wind unfeasible. Even if wind was reliable, open landscapes that we see in places like the American west don’t exist in Cambodian jungles.  landscapes such as the Colombia Gorge don’t exist in Cambodian jungles, which would require intense deforestation in a country whose forests have already been depleted to make wind worthwhile. For sake of conversation lets say that these issues weren’t in place, Cambodia ranks as one of the top 20 poorest countries in the world. As a country attempting to develop, the cheapest renewable energy will be prioritized. Therefore, as of now, hydroelectric and fossil fuel energy production are the only ones realistic for Cambodia. 

So how do we proceed? The complexity of the issue leaves us with no solution. The dams that currently stand are predominantly financed by foreign entities. Money, power, corruption, and lobbying mean that they will stay where they are. Conservationists, local communities, and activists must collaborate with officials to explore environmentally conscious solutions. There is no solution until someone thinks of one.