Cambodia’s new canal could boost trade but risks harming key river

FILE - Sok Koeun, a villager who lives along the Funan Techo Canal, collects firewood for cooking at her home at Prek Takeo village, eastern Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 30, 2024. FILE - A view of the canal at Prek Takoe village eastern side of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 30, 2024.

The Mekong River is a lifeline for millions in the six countries it traverses on its way from its headwaters to the sea, sustaining the world's largest inland fishery and abundant rice paddies on Vietnam's Mekong Delta.