The survival of the fittest

You won't find this place on Lonely Planet although it's not too far (in any sense) from the popular tourist attraction of Choeng Ek's genocidal massgraves. Only 1 km off the road to Choeng Ek is something that seems to be the modern day killing fields -the largest garbage dump of Phnom Penh. The extensive poverty of the countryside drives people to the capital that cannot provide living for everyone. When the only alternatives are starvation and suicide, people end up here looking for recyclable materials they can sell to traders next to the landfill.


When a truck arrives, people gather around it, ready to pick its load in hope of plastic, rubber or scrap metal. The daily income is around $1, children being smaller and weaker usually make 2000 riels (50 cents).


Adults have covered themselves from head to heels but children do not necessarily understand the hazards of the landfill. Some of them wander barefoot trying to find broken glass, used condoms or syringes (laakeruisku) no one has spotted.


The biggest threat, however, is the poisonous smoke rising from the dump. The landfill is in fact burning due to the methane that is released from the decomposing waste. The smell cannot be described.


The lack of hygiene exposes people to many diseases and stomach disorders that can be lethal as health care is beyond their reach (one day in a hospital costs $20). About 2000 people actually live at the landfill where they pay rip-off rent for a piece of privately owned land. During the rainy season most of that area is covered in water.


As we left (I was there with a motodriver from the guesthouse) three naked and dirty children, no more than five years old, came to us smiling, waving and saying 'bye-bye' like kids everywhere in the world do. As their mother called them, they left running and laughing towards a wooden shelter they must call home. Love can do miracles, but future doesn't look too bright for these children.