Upon discovering the issues going on in the communities of Kbal Romeas and Srey Kor, I was immediately drawn to the story and wanted to develop a documentation project to learn more about how the communities have been affected by dam construction in Cambodia.

Since the completion of the Lower Sesan 2 hydroelectric dam in northeast Cambodia in 2018, almost 5,000 villagers have been displaced from their homes. The dam construction forced a physical separation between the villagers, those who left and those who stayed behind. It also caused an emotional and political divide within the community.

The old village was mostly abandoned. All the homes, monasteries, and schools were flooded, and the farmlands were destroyed. However, some villagers felt compelled to remain close to their ancestors’ sacred burial grounds and remained in their flooded village trying to survive. Those who decided to move were provided compensation, housing, and land from the dam company.

However, they continue to struggle financially, starting a new life with few resources, and suffer from the separation from their families and ancestral lands. This project is an exploration of their story, and how their life has been affected – it is a story of survival.