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Mekong Rains WEB

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  • Mekong Rains WEB
  • February 12, 2023
  • Content Type Package
  • Language English
  • Transcript/Script English ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: INDOCHINA MEKONG HEADLINE: Heavy Rains Improve Mekong Life but Concerns Remain TEASER: Village fishermen and analysts say catches are still poor, blame dams PUBLISHED AT: BYLINE: Luke Hunt CONTRIBUTOR: Sreynat Sarum DATELINE: PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA VIDEOGRAPHER: Luke Hunt, David Brown, Sreynat Sarum VIDEO EDITOR: David Brown SCRIPT EDITORS: Steve HIrsch, pcd VIDEO SOURCES: VOA, Mekong River Commission (MRC) PLATFORMS: WEB _x_ TV _x_ RADIO _x_ TRT: 4:53 VID APPROVED BY:sv TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: There are also radio and web versions of this story)) ((INTRO:)) [[Cambodian authorities say heavy rains and a bumper fish crop have improved life along the Mekong River after a nearly four-year drought, poor harvests and the pandemic took a heavy toll on some 65 million people who rely on the waterway for their daily livelihoods. Luke Hunt reports.]] ((VIDEO: Wide shot of heavy rains)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of heavy rains in street)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of children playing in the rain)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fisherman’s shack)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of women cleaning fish)) ((VIDEO: Close up of women cleaning fish)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of fisherfolk hauling in nets with Phnom Penh skyline)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of fishermen hauling in nets)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of fisherman hauling in a single net)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fishing village on the Mekong)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of a fisherman’s shack)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of Hoek Oudom walking into his shop)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Hoek Oudom onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Cambodia had lots of rain during the last monsoon, prompting the Mekong River Commission to declare a near four-year drought in the Lower Mekong Basin over. Authorities in Cambodia also have reported a bumper annual fish harvest. Officials say early reports suggest this year’s fish harvest is up by 40% from last year and that this was helped by a crackdown on illegal fishing and a ban on taking endangered species during spawning season. However, many village fishermen complain their hauls remain small when compared with five to 10 years ago and believe this is due to the relentless construction of upstream dams and illegal fishing. Hoek Oudom, a raw fish seller, works near the banks of the Mekong River just outside of Phnom Penh, and says ethnic Vietnamese and Muslim Chams, who traditionally rely on fishing for their living, are still having a hard time. ((Hoek Oudom, fish seller (male in English) )) “It is different than before. Don’t have much fish right now and most of the Vietnam and the Cham people don’t have much, don’t have much like before now and the fish is less, less than before.” ((VIDEO: Wide shot fisherman against Phnom Penh skyscrapers)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of Taing Makara walking)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Taing Makara onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Fisherman Taing Makara, speaking from his boat on the shoreline of the Mekong River east of Phnom Penh, once made a reasonable living when fishing with his wife but now she makes better money working as a cook. ((Taing Makara, Cambodian fisherman (male in Khmer) )) “During these last few years, after the dams were built, I could barely catch a fish and it is hard to make a livelihood.” ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fishing boat, net and Phnom Penh skyline)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Taing Makara onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) He estimated his fish catch is down by half. ((Taing Makara, Cambodian fisherman (male in Khmer) )) “We are losing fish because the waterways are not working as usual and it makes it hard for fish to migrate.” ((VIDEO: Medium shot of fishing shacks and Mekong)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of Nguyen Van Prap and friends making fishing traps)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Nguyen Van Prap and friends making fishing traps)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Nguyen Van Prap and his brother Danh onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Nguyen Van Prap and his brother Danh are ethnic Vietnamese and used to fish the Mekong near Phnom Penh with their father, but he says there are many fewer fishing boats now because fish stocks are low. ((Ngueyn Van Prap, former fisherman (male in Khmer) )) “He [his father] was a fisherman a long time ago but he is not anymore. The month with the most fish is December, after that there are not that many fish left to catch anymore.” ((VIDEO: Graphic of dams (provided by MRC))) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fishing boat in river)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of people sitting by Mekong River))) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of ferry crossing the river))) ((VIDEO: Wide shot fishing village running out of water)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of boats near a Tonle Sap village)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of boats and a Tonle Sap village)) ((VIDEO: Graphic, map Lower Mekong Basin (provided by Google Earth))) ((VIDEO: Graphic of Xayaburi Dam across Mekong River (provided by Google earth))) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fishing boats and Phnom Penh skyline)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of shoreline, fishing boat and shack)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of Tonle Sap from balcony)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Tom Fawthrop on balcony onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Dam construction is part of a rapid modernization drive in China and mainland Southeast Asia. Many in Laos, which intends to raise living standards by becoming the “battery of Southeast Asia” -- selling hydro-electricity across the region through Thailand to provide reliable energy for industry, flood control, irrigation and clean drinking water. The Washington-based Stimson Center, which tracks the Mekong, says water levels have returned to the low level normal for this time of year as the dry season nears its peak. The center says the drought might be over in the Lower Mekong, but northern Thailand, Laos and Southwest China are still dry, and the river system needs a few more years of regular rainfall to recover. It adds 118 dams have been built along a river ecosystem complicated by climate change and the main concern is 11 dams that block the mainstream of the river and another three mainstream dams that are planned near the massive Xayaburi dam in northern Laos. Laos and China have said fish ladders constructed within the dams have mitigated any impact on fish migration and numbers and ensured a steady flow of water during drought. Filmmaker Tom Fawthrop in Chiang Mai, Thailand, who released A River Screams for Mercy, a documentary on the plight of the Mekong, says warnings have not been heeded. ((Tom Fawthrop, filmmaker (male in English) )) “There’s a scientific report that warned everybody what the impacts would be and now when we look at the Mekong today, the dams like the Xayaburi Dam; farmers and fishermen and communities are complaining most of the fish catch has been destroyed.” ((VIDEO: Wide shot panning of Xayaburi Dam (footage provided by Stimson Center))) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of dam construction (footage provided by Stimson Center))) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Tom Fawthrop onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Those reports include forecasts from Vietnam’s Center for Earthquake and Tsunami Warnings and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok that the weight of dams in northern Laos might increase the probability of earthquakes in a region already prone to seismic activity. (Tom Fawthrop, filmmaker (male in English) )) “Not sufficient attention has been given to the earthquake threat around northern Laos. All these new dams are being built in a very earthquake-active zone.” ((VIDEO: Wide shot of ferries crossing the Tonle Sap where it meets the Mekong River)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of flags and traffic on riverfront)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of flags on the edge of Tonle Sap)) ((NARRATOR)) Fawthrop says calls for a moratorium on dam construction should be heard when leaders from the Lower Mekong countries – Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos – hold a summit to deliberate on the fate of the river in April. ((LUKE HUNT for VOA News, Phnom Penh, Cambodia))
  • Transcript/Script ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: INDOCHINA MEKONG HEADLINE: Heavy Rains Improve Mekong Life but Concerns Remain TEASER: Village fishermen and analysts say catches are still poor, blame dams PUBLISHED AT: BYLINE: Luke Hunt CONTRIBUTOR: Sreynat Sarum DATELINE: PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA VIDEOGRAPHER: Luke Hunt, David Brown, Sreynat Sarum VIDEO EDITOR: David Brown SCRIPT EDITORS: Steve HIrsch, pcd VIDEO SOURCES: VOA, Mekong River Commission (MRC) PLATFORMS: WEB _x_ TV _x_ RADIO _x_ TRT: 4:53 VID APPROVED BY:sv TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: There are also radio and web versions of this story)) ((INTRO:)) [[Cambodian authorities say heavy rains and a bumper fish crop have improved life along the Mekong River after a nearly four-year drought, poor harvests and the pandemic took a heavy toll on some 65 million people who rely on the waterway for their daily livelihoods. Luke Hunt reports.]] ((VIDEO: Wide shot of heavy rains)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of heavy rains in street)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of children playing in the rain)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fisherman’s shack)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of women cleaning fish)) ((VIDEO: Close up of women cleaning fish)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of fisherfolk hauling in nets with Phnom Penh skyline)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of fishermen hauling in nets)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of fisherman hauling in a single net)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fishing village on the Mekong)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of a fisherman’s shack)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of Hoek Oudom walking into his shop)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Hoek Oudom onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Cambodia had lots of rain during the last monsoon, prompting the Mekong River Commission to declare a near four-year drought in the Lower Mekong Basin over. Authorities in Cambodia also have reported a bumper annual fish harvest. Officials say early reports suggest this year’s fish harvest is up by 40% from last year and that this was helped by a crackdown on illegal fishing and a ban on taking endangered species during spawning season. However, many village fishermen complain their hauls remain small when compared with five to 10 years ago and believe this is due to the relentless construction of upstream dams and illegal fishing. Hoek Oudom, a raw fish seller, works near the banks of the Mekong River just outside of Phnom Penh, and says ethnic Vietnamese and Muslim Chams, who traditionally rely on fishing for their living, are still having a hard time. ((Hoek Oudom, fish seller (male in English) )) “It is different than before. Don’t have much fish right now and most of the Vietnam and the Cham people don’t have much, don’t have much like before now and the fish is less, less than before.” ((VIDEO: Wide shot fisherman against Phnom Penh skyscrapers)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of Taing Makara walking)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Taing Makara onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Fisherman Taing Makara, speaking from his boat on the shoreline of the Mekong River east of Phnom Penh, once made a reasonable living when fishing with his wife but now she makes better money working as a cook. ((Taing Makara, Cambodian fisherman (male in Khmer) )) “During these last few years, after the dams were built, I could barely catch a fish and it is hard to make a livelihood.” ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fishing boat, net and Phnom Penh skyline)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Taing Makara onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) He estimated his fish catch is down by half. ((Taing Makara, Cambodian fisherman (male in Khmer) )) “We are losing fish because the waterways are not working as usual and it makes it hard for fish to migrate.” ((VIDEO: Medium shot of fishing shacks and Mekong)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of Nguyen Van Prap and friends making fishing traps)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Nguyen Van Prap and friends making fishing traps)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Nguyen Van Prap and his brother Danh onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Nguyen Van Prap and his brother Danh are ethnic Vietnamese and used to fish the Mekong near Phnom Penh with their father, but he says there are many fewer fishing boats now because fish stocks are low. ((Ngueyn Van Prap, former fisherman (male in Khmer) )) “He [his father] was a fisherman a long time ago but he is not anymore. The month with the most fish is December, after that there are not that many fish left to catch anymore.” ((VIDEO: Graphic of dams (provided by MRC))) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fishing boat in river)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of people sitting by Mekong River))) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of ferry crossing the river))) ((VIDEO: Wide shot fishing village running out of water)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of boats near a Tonle Sap village)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of boats and a Tonle Sap village)) ((VIDEO: Graphic, map Lower Mekong Basin (provided by Google Earth))) ((VIDEO: Graphic of Xayaburi Dam across Mekong River (provided by Google earth))) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of fishing boats and Phnom Penh skyline)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of shoreline, fishing boat and shack)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of Tonle Sap from balcony)) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Tom Fawthrop on balcony onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Dam construction is part of a rapid modernization drive in China and mainland Southeast Asia. Many in Laos, which intends to raise living standards by becoming the “battery of Southeast Asia” -- selling hydro-electricity across the region through Thailand to provide reliable energy for industry, flood control, irrigation and clean drinking water. The Washington-based Stimson Center, which tracks the Mekong, says water levels have returned to the low level normal for this time of year as the dry season nears its peak. The center says the drought might be over in the Lower Mekong, but northern Thailand, Laos and Southwest China are still dry, and the river system needs a few more years of regular rainfall to recover. It adds 118 dams have been built along a river ecosystem complicated by climate change and the main concern is 11 dams that block the mainstream of the river and another three mainstream dams that are planned near the massive Xayaburi dam in northern Laos. Laos and China have said fish ladders constructed within the dams have mitigated any impact on fish migration and numbers and ensured a steady flow of water during drought. Filmmaker Tom Fawthrop in Chiang Mai, Thailand, who released A River Screams for Mercy, a documentary on the plight of the Mekong, says warnings have not been heeded. ((Tom Fawthrop, filmmaker (male in English) )) “There’s a scientific report that warned everybody what the impacts would be and now when we look at the Mekong today, the dams like the Xayaburi Dam; farmers and fishermen and communities are complaining most of the fish catch has been destroyed.” ((VIDEO: Wide shot panning of Xayaburi Dam (footage provided by Stimson Center))) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of dam construction (footage provided by Stimson Center))) ((VIDEO: Close-up shot of Tom Fawthrop onscreen)) ((NARRATOR)) Those reports include forecasts from Vietnam’s Center for Earthquake and Tsunami Warnings and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok that the weight of dams in northern Laos might increase the probability of earthquakes in a region already prone to seismic activity. (Tom Fawthrop, filmmaker (male in English) )) “Not sufficient attention has been given to the earthquake threat around northern Laos. All these new dams are being built in a very earthquake-active zone.” ((VIDEO: Wide shot of ferries crossing the Tonle Sap where it meets the Mekong River)) ((VIDEO: Wide shot of flags and traffic on riverfront)) ((VIDEO: Medium shot of flags on the edge of Tonle Sap)) ((NARRATOR)) Fawthrop says calls for a moratorium on dam construction should be heard when leaders from the Lower Mekong countries – Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos – hold a summit to deliberate on the fate of the river in April. ((LUKE HUNT for VOA News, Phnom Penh, Cambodia))
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date February 12, 2023 11:19 EST
  • Byline Luke Hunt
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America
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