From Afghan Dust to the Meandering Mekong

2 minute read

After spending the majority of the last three years in Afghanistan, I reached a point where I felt the coarse Afghan dust was corroding the curiosity of my eyes. I needed to wander again.

I found myself in Vientiane, Laos, on the bank of the meandering Mekong River—a river experiencing significant change that threatens its existence. The government of Laos is proposing several hydroelectric dam projects that would affect the flow of the Mekong and the fish species that traverse it. China has already built hydroelectric dams on the river—an action that’s impact has yet to be assessed. Global warming, already affecting many regions of the world, slowly melts the glaciers that feed the Mekong at it’s source, posing an additional threat to the Basin. Fish stocks are depleted and Chinese influence is increasingly exerted amongst the progressive cries of development and globalization. An entire way of life is at stake for the millions of people relying directly and indirectly on the river.

It’s unknown what economic and environmental consequences these changes will ultimately have on the river and the social landscape that surrounds it. No matter the course, change will be dramatic in the Lower Mekong River Basin.

With this, I made the decision to document the region at this critical time of transition. As a photographer, I’ve struggled to match the river’s deliberate pace. Covering Afghanistan has been hard, fast and without rhythm—it’s left me impatient and reliant on schedules, routines, and permission. Along the Mekong, I feel free.

Adam Ferguson is a frequent contributor to TIME. Represented by VII Network, Ferguson has covered conflict for several years, primarily in Afghanistan.

Previously, Ferguson’s Witness to a Civilian Casualty was featured on LightBox.

An afternoon storm approaches a fish farm on the Mekong River in Vientiane, Laos People’s Democratic Republic on May 12, 2011.Adam Ferguson—VII Network
Lao and Myanmarese women wait for customers inside a massage parlor at the King’s Roman Casino complex on the Mekong River in the Chinese Special Economic Zone in Ton Pheung, Bokeo Province, Laos People’s Democratic Republic on May 5, 2011.Adam Ferguson—VII Network
Fish caught in the Mekong River lay in the bottom of a small boat in Chiang Khong, Chang Rai Province, Thailand on May 3, 2011. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
Buyers and sellers do business at a fish market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 14, 2011. Some fish traded at the market are farmed or caught in the Mekong. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
A farmer burns off a rice paddy after harvest in Vinh Long Province in the Vietnam Delta on May 19, 2011. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
The interior of a house in Chiang Khong, Chang Rai Province, Thailand on May 3, 2011. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
A small fishing boat sails down the Mekong River in Bokeo Province in the Laos People’s Democratic Republic on May 6, 2011. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
Children play in the rain at a slum on the bank of Bassac River in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 14, 2011. The Bassac River flows into the Mekong River carrying pollution from garment factories and is also a distributary of the Tonle Sap, which plays an important role in fish migration paths to and from the Mekong. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
Chinese men sit inside a Karaoke bar at the King’s Roman Casino complex on the Mekong River in the Chinese Special Economic Zone in Ton Pheung, Bokeo Province, Laos People’s Democratic Republic on May 5, 2011. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
Flags fly above a shrine on the bank of the Mekong River in Chiang Khong, Chang Rai Province, Thailand on May 3, 2011. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
A Lao man directs a truck during a traffic accident in Xayaburi Province, Laos People’s Democratic Republic on May 11, 2011. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
A man stands next to the Mekong River on an artificial bank made for a new development in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 13, 2011. Adam Ferguson—VII Network
Children swim in a distributary of the Mekong River at Chau Doc, An Giang Province, in Vietnam on May 17, 2011.Adam Ferguson—VII Network
A view of the Mekong River in Luang Prabang Province in the Laos People’s Democratic Republic on May 8, 2011.Adam Ferguson—VII Network

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