Before going out on the lake, fishermen come to this hut to pray for a safe journey and a lot of fish. forward »
Floating villages need to move several times during the year because the water level rises up to twelve meters during the rain season. forward »
In some of the villages the inhabitants build their houses on stilts. These children are playing on the stilts of a house still under construction. forward »
The tonle sap is one of the lakes with the highest density of fish. Giant bow nets are used to catch them. forward »
A fishermen family is drying thousands of fish on the roof of their house. It is going to be transported to the capital Phnom Penh later on. forward »
Watersnakes are bycatch in the fishermen's nets. They are dried, spiced and sold as snacks on local markets. forward »
A monk at the pagoda of Prek Toal. The pagoda is the only building constructed on a hill of sand, besides the telephone mast. forward »
People wash themselves with the lake's water. The water in the villages is often polluted and villagers have to get clean water from further out on the lake. forward »
A young woman sets up a fire to cook breakfast. forward »
Chong Kneas is one of the better developed villages on the lake. It has two of these floating basketball courts. forward »
This family has to take their doughter out to the lake when they fish. They have no one taking care of her back in the village. forward »
In the village of Kompong Luong transportation is only possible by boat. A young boy is using shallow water close to shore to clean his bike. forward »
Marriages in cambodia take place at young ages. Childmarriages are a problem mostly in rural areas. forward »
A man puts his feet over the eyes of crocodile in a crocodile farm. It calms down the animal. forward »
Cao Cung Dung and his family wait for the heat of the noon to pass. Their technical equipment like a karaoke machine is powered by car batteries. forward »
A woman is burning her garbage next to her house. forward »
Workers are loading reed mats that are used in bow nets on the lake. forward »
Cambodia has compulsory education but there are only primary schools in the villages on the lake. These circumstances make it impossible for most children to ever gain higher education. forward »
A fisherman runs out his nets. Most of the inhabitants of the floating villages generate their income from fish. forward »
A boy stands on the roof of his house in Kompong Luong. The villages is the largest settlement on the lake numbering 10.000 inhabitants. forward »
Two men are putting a pig back in his cage. After it broke out the men were chasing it through the mus for about half an hour. forward »
Late afternoon is meeting time on shore. People chat, drink or play volleyball. forward »
At night time a families wealth can be seen by the amount of electric light in their houses because the batteries supplying the power are too expensive for some. forward »
The Tonle Sap lake in the heart of Cambodia is the biggest lake in South East Asia. About one million people live on and around the lake in villages either built on stilits or completely floating. Such type of homes are practically necessary because the water level rises up to twelve meters during the rainy season. This great inundation causes the lake's surface to spread out six times its normal size during the dry season. The villages are mostly very poor. The inhabitants live in such poverty that they can not afford to purchase land so they choose to live on the lake and take from her bounty rather than end up struggling daily in the grind of the big cities. Have the Cambodian people of Tonle Sap found a placid place to call their home or is there more to tell on these waters?
Lucas Wahl was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1984. Since 2007 he has been studying photojournalism at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover, Germany. He photographs his stories worldwide and focuses on social issues and small, daily life stories.
Lucas’ work won multiple awards since 2009 and has been exhibited, among others, at the “Visa Pour L’image – off Festival” in France. He mainly works for editorial and corporate clients.
After two years in Southeast Asia he returned to Germany in 2013 and is now based in Hamburg.
Before going out on the lake, fishermen come to this hut to pray for a safe journey and a lot of fish.
forward »
Floating villages need to move several times during the year because the water level rises up to twelve meters during the rain season.
forward »
In some of the villages the inhabitants build their houses on stilts. These children are playing on the stilts of a house still under construction.
forward »
The tonle sap is one of the lakes with the highest density of fish. Giant bow nets are used to catch them.
forward »
A fishermen family is drying thousands of fish on the roof of their house. It is going to be transported to the capital Phnom Penh later on.
forward »
Watersnakes are bycatch in the fishermen's nets. They are dried, spiced and sold as snacks on local markets.
forward »
A monk at the pagoda of Prek Toal. The pagoda is the only building constructed on a hill of sand, besides the telephone mast.
forward »
A man paddeling home at dusk.
forward »
People wash themselves with the lake's water. The water in the villages is often polluted and villagers have to get clean water from further out on the lake.
forward »
A young woman sets up a fire to cook breakfast.
forward »
Chong Kneas is one of the better developed villages on the lake. It has two of these floating basketball courts.
forward »
This family has to take their doughter out to the lake when they fish. They have no one taking care of her back in the village.
forward »
In the village of Kompong Luong transportation is only possible by boat. A young boy is using shallow water close to shore to clean his bike.
forward »
Marriages in cambodia take place at young ages. Childmarriages are a problem mostly in rural areas.
forward »
A man puts his feet over the eyes of crocodile in a crocodile farm. It calms down the animal.
forward »
Cao Cung Dung and his family wait for the heat of the noon to pass. Their technical equipment like a karaoke machine is powered by car batteries.
forward »
A woman is burning her garbage next to her house.
forward »
Workers are loading reed mats that are used in bow nets on the lake.
forward »
Cambodia has compulsory education but there are only primary schools in the villages on the lake. These circumstances make it impossible for most children to ever gain higher education.
forward »
A fisherman runs out his nets. Most of the inhabitants of the floating villages generate their income from fish.
forward »
A boy stands on the roof of his house in Kompong Luong. The villages is the largest settlement on the lake numbering 10.000 inhabitants.
forward »
Two men are putting a pig back in his cage. After it broke out the men were chasing it through the mus for about half an hour.
forward »
Late afternoon is meeting time on shore. People chat, drink or play volleyball.
forward »
At night time a families wealth can be seen by the amount of electric light in their houses because the batteries supplying the power are too expensive for some.
forward »
More stories of Lucas Wahl
Floating villages
The Tonle Sap lake in the heart of Cambodia is the biggest lake in South East Asia. About one million people live on and around the lake in villages either built on stilits or completely floating. Such type of homes are practically necessary because the water level rises up to twelve meters during the rainy season. This great inundation causes the lake's surface to spread out six times its normal size during the dry season. The villages are mostly very poor. The inhabitants live in such poverty that they can not afford to purchase land so they choose to live on the lake and take from her bounty rather than end up struggling daily in the grind of the big cities. Have the Cambodian people of Tonle Sap found a placid place to call their home or is there more to tell on these waters?
More stories
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Blind family
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Floating villages
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Fishery in the holy land
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Bangkok Flood
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Lucas Wahl – Biography
Lucas Wahl was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1984. Since 2007 he has been studying photojournalism at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover, Germany. He photographs his stories worldwide and focuses on social issues and small, daily life stories.
Lucas’ work won multiple awards since 2009 and has been exhibited, among others, at the “Visa Pour L’image – off Festival” in France. He mainly works for editorial and corporate clients.
After two years in Southeast Asia he returned to Germany in 2013 and is now based in Hamburg.