Sand mining ships used to be a common sight in Koh Sralao, a fishing village located in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province. However, it had been ten years since anyone has seen them until June of this year. Rithy, a local fisherman, noticed many sand-mining barges, about ten of them, in a nearby waterway while he was out fishing. These barges are part of a mining operation situated 10 kilometers (6 miles) upstream on the Trapeang Rung River, which local authorities have approved to extract sand for export to Singapore.
Since June, official reports confirm that sand exports to Singapore have begun. An investigation by Mongabay suggests the sand might be used in a government-supported reclamation project in the city-state. This renewed activity follows a ban on sand trading in Cambodia that was imposed in 2017 due to dredging by companies with political ties, which took away hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of sand and harmed local ecosystems and livelihoods. Now, community members, conservationists, and activists are raising concerns that similar damage could occur again.
The sand mining operation, located along the Trapeang Rung River in Koh Kong Knong village, has already made fishing difficult for Rithy. He stated that he can no longer access a section of the river where he used to fish, as the mining activities risk damaging his fishing nets.
What are your thoughts on the impact of sand mining on local communities?
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Source: Mongabay Animals, by Isabel Esterman