KAMPONG THOM: Prime Minister Hun Sen has expressed concern over the shallowness of the Tonle Sap, caused by the flow of sediment and natural waste into the large natural lake.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the River Festival in Kampong Thom province on Thursday night, 9 March 2023, Prime Minister Hun Sen stated that he had predicted since 1979 that the lake’s water level would become shallower due to this flow of sediment and natural waste, but that the problem is that Cambodia lacks the funds for proper rehabilitation.

"If we have enough money, we would not leave [the lake’s water level] so shallow," he said.

The Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. The lake is about 116 km long, up to 33 km wide and has a 482 km-long coastline during the dry season. The lake is usually around one to two meters deep during the dry season, but can grow to 8 to 11 meters in depth in the rainy season, making the Tonle Sap cover a total area of 1,500,000 hectares.