National Fisheries Administration Head Visits Trau Kod
Rainy season seems to have officially begun in Cambodia with regular rains falling every evening around 5 pm. This has caused a few small hiccups for HT, but most projects are progressing according to schedule. Plans to repair the small gap at the gates of the Watergate were temporarily postponed in anticipation of a visit from the head of the National Fisheries Administration. HT is planning, in conjunction with the Fisheries Department, to release a variety of fingerling fish into the reservoir. The head of the National Fisheries Administration, H.E. Nao Thourk, came to the reservoir to inspect the project’s progress and to officially announce the plan to local community members and reporters. A reporter from a local Cambodian newspaper, Rasmei Kampuchea Daily, was on hand to report the event and an article appeared this early this month.
The fish will be released into a forested area in the south-eastern area of the reservoir that will fill with water as the rainy season continues. The flooded tree roots will be the perfect environment for young fish to grow up in. In addition to providing a constant source of protein for local villagers, an abundance of fish in the lake attract more birds to the area.
However, prior to the Fisheries Administration’s visit, Chay noticed that someone had attempted to claim some land within this forested area of the reservoir basin with concrete posts, despite all of the land being the property of the local community and the Cambodian government. Apparently, when this particular individual tried to hire people to clear the area, all the villagers refused. In a show of real community solidarity, they told the developer that the area was going to be used as fish habitat and that no clearing or construction could take place within the embankment of the reservoir. When Mr. Nao of the Fisheries Administration came to the area a few days later, he called for villagers to “understand the importance of their contribution to protect the reservoir”. We hope to continue to see these sorts of contributions from community members to keep Trau Kod a community source of water, and soon, fish.
Wonderful! I can smell the grilled fish all the way to the U.S. With fish will come birds too! What a beautiful photo of the reservoir. Way to go, HT!
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tms020348 |
July 5, 2009 11:48 AM