When the sun reaches the river,
sometimes it heats it up,
drying out the same river
which floods the villages.
We cannot make the sun shine less,
but we can make it hurt us less.
Why do we not help ourselves?
I met a man, and he said
“We can benefit for a day, but we lose a lifetime to live.”
When the sacred sun reaches the sacred river,
we will know we are not in control.

This verse urged me to explore the issues surrounding a minority group in Cambodia affected by the Lower Se San Dam II. When their village of Kbal Romeas was flooded and destroyed, some people relocated while others stayed on, residing in the forest and boycotting the dam’s electricity. We cannot control the effect of climate change but we can minimise its harm.

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