7.17.2008

One Star Turn



courtesy of Bouny Te

We ran into a surprisingly large problem before starting the downstream path excavation. A Cambodian One Star General had purchased the land downstream of the reservoir and did not want the stream to run through his land. It took quite a few discussions and some negotiating but we eventually agreed to turn back to the original stream path as quick as possible (see the relatively sharp turn to the left in the photo above). This path is more of a temporary solution until next dry season when we can provide a larger path and armor the side embankment at the turn. But this is a great example of one of the many completely unexpected problems that popped up during the project.

7.14.2008

Excavating the downstream path

ceda watches as a local villager excavates the channel

Excavation for the downstream path have begun. This path will guide the water from the watergates back to the existing O'Tabet stream. Manual labor was the best alternative considering costs and safety. At this point, the ground is saturated due to the rainy season, and having any heavy equipment out on site can be unstable. Work is estimated to be complete by next week.

7.02.2008

Dengue Fever

DENGUE FEVER
it's a serious disease, and nyc will be hit with a severe case of it this saturday, 7/5, at central park's summerstage! dengue fever was first introduced to this project via human translations' video, using "sleepwalking through the mekong" as the soundtrack to this powerful video clip. since then, ewb-nyc have been committed to this water dam project.
"...when things get hard within a project...you tend to search for reasons why you shouldn't finish it..." -Zac Holtzman to AM newyork.