Phnom Penh: The largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and the biggest source of food supply for Cambodians, the Tonle Sap Lake, is in crisis. It has been reported as having reached historically low water levels at the end of last month, raising concerns across the Mekong River basin. The Mekong River Commission and its partners are now deploying innovative information and communication technologies to assist governments and communities manage extreme weather conditions that are affecting the Lower Mekong region.

The Tonle Sap Lake is one of the richest inland fishing grounds in the world, but is now under threat from climate change. Fishermen living in core areas of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve in Kampong Thom have long complained that fishing yields have been in decline due to low water levels in the wet season. The Mekong River Commission says on 31 August, station readings showed a water level of just 3.86m. That’s nearly a metre lower than in 2020 and about half the normal average for this time of the year. The Commission says the lower Mekong regions remains highly vulnerable not only to increased drought but also flooding.

Earlier this year the MRC and Korea Development Institute launched a project aimed at demonstrating how high-tech solutions can support Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam in minimizing the impact of weather-related disasters. Chief Executive Officer of the MRC Secretariat, An Pich Hatda, says climate change necessitates that member countries prioritize, scale up their response mechanisms, and take advantage of cutting-edge technologies to facilitate more effective action. In a workshop organized by the MRC on Monday, the policy report recommended developing map-based flood and drought monitoring systems by analyzing areas vulnerable to flood and drought.

The topic is expected to come up during Thursday’s Seventh Greater Mekong Subregion Summit, which will chaired virtually by Prime Minister Hun Sen. His office says the meeting will focusing on high-priority projects, including the environment, trade, private sector investment and agriculture.