Four years ago, the gates of the Lower Sesan 2 hydropower dam closed for the first time, spilling water into what would eventually become a 300 sq. km reservoir covering lands once home to almost 5,000 people.
Sran Lanj watched as the river rose and the land — lived on by her indigenous Bunong community for generations — disappeared.
“We packed our things in a boat and moved to higher ground three kilometers away,” the mother of three told Nikkei Asia. “We lost the home where our ancestors lived, their tombs are underwater. We lost our farm, our rice, vegetables, mangos and coconut trees. We lost our identity.”
