Mekong, The Mother of Rivers

Ore Huiying, Singapore

Also known as the Mother of Rivers in Laos and Thailand, the Mekong is the region’s economic, cultural and spiritual backbone. The longest in Southeast Asia, she is home to the world’s largest inland fishery and hosts a treasure trove of biodiversity, including critically endangered species such as the Mekong giant catfish, Siamese crocodile and Irrawaddy dolphin. The river is a vital source of food and livelihood for more than 80% of the population in the Lower Mekong River region. Already facing stress from 15 dams in upstream China, the Mekong is now further threatened by Laos’ ambition to be the ‘battery of Southeast Asia’. 

The country has plans to build 9 dams on mainstream Mekong. The poor and undeveloped country hopes that income from exporting hydroelectricity will promote its economic development. In 2010, construction began on the nation’s first hydropower dam—the Xayaburi Dam. The US$ 3.8 billion project is expected to generate 1,260 megawatts of electricity, of which around 95% of it will be exported to Thailand. In 2016, Laos began construction of its second dam in Don Sahong, a critical and ecologically unique area of the Mekong.

Both controversial dams proceeded without a comprehensive environmental or transboundary impact assessment. Concerns raised by neighboring Vietnam and Cambodia were ignored. Environmental experts warned that these dam projects would cause significant and irreversible damages to the river's ecosystems, in addition to the social costs. 

For this series, I travelled by boat along the area designated as a reservoir for the Xayaburi dam. During the journey, I encountered villagers who will be affected by the dam project. In portraying their daily routines, I seek to highlight the subsistence relationship they have with the river, a delicate connection that will be destroyed by the dam project.

© Ore Huiying

01. The Mekong River, also known as Mother of Rivers in Laos and Thailand, is the 12th longest river in the world.

© Ore Huiying

02. A villager living along the Mekong River takes her daily evening bath in the river.

© Ore Huiying

03. In the remote areas of Luang Prabang province along the Mekong River, villagers depend on boats along the river as their only means of transport.

© Ore Huiying

04. Part of the Xayaburi dam construction includes creating a reservoir that stretches between 60 to 80km along the Mekong River. Riverbanks along this section between Xayaboury province and Luang Prabang province will be flooded.

© Ore Huiying

05. In the season of cicadas, villagers who live along the river trap the insects with homemade glue on sticks. The insect provides an additional source of food and income for the villagers.

© Ore Huiying

06. The water level along the Lower Mekong River is influenced by weather changes and also affected by hydropower dams in upstream China.

© Ore Huiying

07. Villager Ngoi, 63 years old, pans for gold along the Mekong river bank. She earns about US$70 monthly from gold mined.

© Ore Huiying

08. In Laos, people who are affected by development projects are typically relocated to resettlement villages far away from their homes. Many of them end up losing their farmland and their primary source of income.

Ore Huiying is a photographer from Singapore. She grew up in rural Singapore, but was uprooted to an urban environment as her country developed. As a result, she is drawn to narratives of people and places affected by development.

In 2010, Ore moved to London to study an MA in Documentary Photography at LCC. After 4 years of studying and living in London, she returned to Singapore to focus her photographic practice on Southeast Asia. She has since been working on personal projects, as well as taking on editorial and commercial commissions. Her photographic works have been exhibited in photo festivals, museums and galleries worldwide. 

Visit her website:www.orehuiying.com