Cambodia uses water hyacinth to stop mass fish deaths

Cambodian authorities say they have prevented a mass fish kill in a conservation lake recently.

Cambodia estimates that nearly 70 tons of fish have died in the Tonle Chhmar conservation lake. Photo: Khmer Times

The solution Cambodia has adopted is to plant water hyacinth and continuously pump water into the Tonle Chhmar conservation lake, the Khmer Times reported today. Over the weekend, the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture reported that nearly 70 tons of fish had died in the lake due to high temperatures.

Currently, Cambodian authorities have released 3 hectares of water hyacinth, starting from April 25. Since the release of water hyacinth, the phenomenon of dead fish has stopped. Cambodia plans to release 4 hectares of water hyacinth.

According to the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, if there is no rain within the next month, the water level will drop, and pumps will not be able to solve the problem due to the depletion of water resources. Water hyacinth is considered the most effective solution at present.

Tonle Chhmar Lake was once connected to Tonle Sap (Great Lake), but the two lakes are now separated by a 5 km wide strip of land due to drought.

Tonle Chhmar Lake in northwestern Cambodia, part of the Tonle Sap area, is a UNESCO-recognized ecological reserve. Photo: Google map

According to VNE