A Castle Built on Sediment: The Erosion of Life Along the Mekong River

For centuries, people who have lived along the Mekong River in Southeast Asia have lived in reciprocity with the river— with the body of water serving as a lifeline integral to cultural identity, sovereignty, and livelihoods. The Mekong is tied to over 70 million people but the river’s natural sediment - which supports an agricultural plain across six countries and a migration channel for the largest inland fishery in the world - has been exploited for rash economic gains. The uptick of hydroelectric dams and sandmining for construction is robbing the Mekong of its sedimentary bedrock that provides foundation to the many river ecosystem services that communities rely on. By 2050, an estimated 183 million additional people will be at risk of hunger linked to these anthropogenic changes of the Mekong River, exacerbated by climate change, according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. The Mekong River Delta, where the river meets the South China Sea, is one of the most vulnerable, with scientists projecting that large amounts will be underwater by 2055. As dams trap sediment upstream and sand mining strips the Mekong’s riverbed—the land sinks, crops fail, and food security erodes as millions are displaced. This photo series seeks to unpack the trickle effect of sediment being discovered as an economic boon on the Mekong River, and its impact on communities who have lived there since time immemorial. It looks to examine how this exploitation on top of changing environmental conditions is drowning a way of life. It highlights the importance of subsistence living for this region as people here increasingly struggle to navigate unpredictable river dynamics from altered flow patterns and lost sediment. Through the faces and practices of the millions being displaced by unchecked advancement, I hope these images show why the Mekong River is a castle built on sediment.