Trau Kod Dam: Sustainable Practices and Autonomous Communities, Cambodia

The New York City Chapter of Engineers Without Borders recently contributed to a project in Cambodia at the Balang Commune near Siem Reap. A team of volunteer engineers helped repair a dam that breached during the rainy season of 2000. The rehabilitated reservoir impounds water on 65 hectares of land, restoring irrigation service to over 3200 farmers. The project aims to strengthen the community's autonomous capacity and tangibly improve quality of life. Reflecting upon the experience of completing the project, the paper suggests some basic guidelines for approaching this work and ascertaining whether it achieves the intended goal. Humanitarian engineering work is sited within the context of sustainability. Construction and organization issues are addressed from the perspectives of the designers working remotely in the United States, as well as the engineers who temporarily relocated to the project site in Cambodia. The project provides insight into the way we approach conventional engineering problems. By recognizing and respecting the autonomy of the community we intended to help, we uncovered an unexpected but welcome potential for increasing freedom in our own lives.