The Sangkae River (, ''Stung Sangkae''; also spelled ''Stung Sangké'' or ''Stung Sangkhae'') is one of the main rivers in Battambang Province in north western

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

. The Sangkae River is approximately long. It flows through 6 districts and 27 communes in

Battambang Battambang (, Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ) is the capital of Battambang province and the List of cities and towns in Cambodia, third largest city in Cambodia. The city is situated on the Sangkae River, which winds its way through t ...

province before draining into the

Tonlé Sap Tonlé Sap (; , ; or commonly translated as 'Great Lake') is a lake in the northwest of Cambodia. Belonging to the Mekong, Mekong River system, Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and one of the most diverse and prod ...

lake. The average depth of the river, based on raw data provided by the Battambang's Department of Water Resource (2013) is during the dry season and during the wet season .

Geography

The Sangkae river flows through several villages and towns in the province, the most important one being Battambang city. The river splits in two branches at the level of Khwaeng pagoda, 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Battambang city centre. The smaller fork river flows through Sangkae village, 6 km (3.73 mi) east of Battambang city centre, giving its name to Sangkae District. The main branch of the river reaches the Tonlé Sap

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

around 5 km (3.1 mi) downstream of Preak Trob village, and merges with Serei Sophorn river, in Prey Chas. The two river branches merge again in Thvang village. The river finally reaches the Tonlé Sap lake through the western Tonlé Sap Biosphere Reserve, near Prek Toal.

Economy

Fishery

The river provides access to the Tonlé Sap lake, as well as fishery resources for local people. The fishing techniques used by locals include the use of fish traps placed on the river banks, as well as fishing nets.

Industry

The Seksak Hydropower plant is located on the river near Traeng, approximately 45 km (28 mi) south-west of Battambang city. The dam forms an artificial lake that hosts a tourism resort. However, in 2015, the lake level rise due to the dam was considered a menace to the touristic activities by local people.

Ecology

Fishery ban

Industrial fishing is usually banned during the peak of the wet season (June to October), as it is the spawning season.

Pollution

Several industrial sites are located along the Sangkae river. Some of the plants can pose a threat to the river ecosystems. In 2021, the province authorities investigated the potential chemical pollution of the river, after dead fish were found downstream. In 2023, a company was fined $500,000 for disposing liquid waste in the river. Another company had a chemical waste leakage the same year, the Provincial Administration declared on August 4th.

Transport

A ferry line connects Battambang city to

Siem Reap Siem Reap (, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. Siem Reap possesses French-colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter ...

, via the Sangkae river and the Tonle Sap Lake. The trip takes between 5 and 6 hours.

References

Rivers of Cambodia Geography of Battambang province Tonlé Sap {{Cambodia-river-stub