SAND-DREDGING operations are on the rise in Kampot province, according to local fishermen, who say they are concerned about the possible environmental degradation and loss of livelihood stemming from the operations.Villagers from Traey Koh commune, in Kampong Bay district, say that for the past two months, dredgers belonging to the local Keo Tha company have been plying the Kampot River between areas upstream of Kampot town and the ocean, unloading sand into large container ships moored offshore.
Ly Yen, a 50-year-old Traey Koh fisherman, said the removal of the sand, which he said is intended for export to Singapore, had resulted in riverbank collapses.
“We are concerned about the collapse of the riverbank and declines in our fish and crab catches,” he said.
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