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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - FEBRUARY 11: Tons of waste are piled in the Anlong Pi landfill on February 11, 2013 on the outskirts of Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 26: One young resident of the Anlong Pi rubbish dumps walks in the middle of tons of waste while holding her favorite and only toy, a teddy bear that she found while digging in the rubbish on March 26, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: A young girl reads a book that she found in the tons of waste in the Anlong Pi landfill on March 10, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Despite help provided by local organizations to the inhabitants of Anlong Pi, education levels are very low, with only a few of the workers knowing how to read and write. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 11: A young scavenger collects recyclable material at the Anlong Pi landfill on June 11, 2014 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana / Getty Images
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - DECEMBER 13: A woman piles leftovers found in between the rubbish together to be used as food for the animals on December 13, 2010 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Sometimes, due to a lack of money, the inhabitants of the landfill boil the leftovers and use them for their own meals. Between the tons of waste that arrives every day in Anlong Pi from the tourist destination of Siem Reap, fruits which can be peeled – such as bananas – are preferred because it is safer to eat. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - NOVEMBER 19: A woman fills a bucket of water in a pool of water inside the garbage dump on November 19, 2010 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. The lack of water in the Anlong Pi garbage dumps before the construction of water wells forced residents to collect filtered water from the lake where garbage accumulates to be consumed by the inhabitants of the dump. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 11: A young scavenger poses over tons of rubbish where he searches every day for recyclable material that he sells to make a living in the Anlong Pi landfill on June 11, 2014 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana / Getty Images
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 11: Two young scavenger boys search for recyclable material between tons of trash in the Anlong Pi landfill on June 11, 2014 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Dozens of children work every day in the Anlong Pi landfill, which is situated only a few kilometers away from the world-famous Angkor temples, visited by more than 3 million tourists every year. Despite the Cambodian government's commitments and legal responsibilities to end child labor - enshrined in its ratification of relevant international covenants, domestic laws and the implementation of several national policies aimed at ending child labor - it remains a significant concern in Cambodia, where almost a third of the population lives on less than a dollar per day. Child labor is a consequence of this poverty, often resulting from a family's inability to support itself. According to a recent report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an estimated 19.1% of the close to 4 million children in Cambodia between the ages of 5 and 17 engage in economic activities. An estimated 56.9% of those children are child laborers, with a third of them being involved in hazardous activities mostly in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors. Photo: © Omar Havana / Getty Images
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JANUARY 06: One of the men that work in the Anlong Pi dumps takes a nap during the hottest hour of the day at his home in the Anlong Pi landfill on January 06, 2011 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - FEBRUARY 13: One of the youngest inhabitants of the Anlong Pi dump searches for recyclable material in the middle of tons of waste in the Anlong Pi landfill on February 13, 2011. Dozens of children work in the Anlong Pi dump. With the accumulation of rubbish over the last three years, the low weight of children allows them to search in the middle of the landfill where tons of waste is piled over water. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 26: A group of workers of the Anlong Pi dump work in circles collecting recyclable material from a pile of waste in the Anlong Pi landfill on March 26, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. During their search, they form closed circles, where using their pickaxes, they dig through the piles of waste left moments before by the local trash collection company, Gaea. The most valuable items are collected in the first few minutes, a dangerous process as people use picks in close proximity to each other. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 26: A group of women take a break to drink during their long working day collecting rubbish at the Anlong Pi landfill on March 26, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Pauses and breaks are rare for the workers of the Angkor dump. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 26: A young worker of the Anlong Pi dump digs through a pile of waste searching for recyclable material in the Anlong Pi landfill on March 26, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - OCTOBER 03: A group of women and children wait near one of the rubbish trucks that will deposit the waste from Siem Reap on October 03, 2014 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. After the truck arrives, the inhabitants of the Anlong Pi dump grab their pickaxes and line up along the sides of the truck waiting for the rubbish to be dumped on the ground to start their search for recyclable material such as plastic, metal or copper. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 26: Scavengers pick through the rubbish brought to Siem Reap's rubbish dumps by the local collection agency on March 26, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 09: Young boys play throwing sandals in the garbage dump of Anlong Pi on June 09, 2012 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - APRIL 17: Two of the residents of the Anlong Pi rubbish dumps prepare their dinner on April 17, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Meat is rare in their daily meals; often, small kids hunt mice using slingshots, and for special occasions, the residents of the landfill buy dogs from the nearest villages for prices under ten dollars. Dog meat is really appreciated in some areas of Southeast Asia and in the Anlong Pi dump, dog meat is used to celebrate special occasions, such as this one in 2013. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 11: A young scavenger boy grabs plastic between tons of trash in the Anlong Pi on June 11, 2014 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Dozens of children work every day in the Anlong Pi landfill, which is situated only few kilometres aways from the world famous Angkor temples, visited by more than 3 million tourists every year. Despite the Cambodian government's commitments and legal responsibilities to end child labor - enshrined in its ratification of relevant international covenants, domestic laws and the implementation of several national policies aimed at ending child labor - it remains a significant concern in Cambodia, where almost a third of the population lives on less than a dollar per day. Child labor is a consequence of this poverty, often resulting from a family's inability to support itself. According to a recent report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an estimated 19.1% of the close to 4 million children in Cambodia between the ages of 5 and 17 engage in economic activities. An estimated 56.9% of those children are child labourers, with a third of them being involved in hazardous activities mostly in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors. Photo: © Omar Havana / Getty Images
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10, 2013: A group of young scavengers searches for recyclable material in the middle of tons of burning waste on March 10, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. With the accumulation of rubbish over the last years, the low weight of children allows them to search in the middle of the landfill where tons of waste are piled over water. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: Residents search for recyclable material in the middle of tons of burnt waste in the Anlong Pi landfill on March 10, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The considerable deterioration of the quality of the air is just one of several new factors that have gradually made life in this place unsuitable for any human being. Just a few dozen kilometres away from the world-famous Angkor temples, around three hundred people have lived for the last three years fighting the daily realities of extreme poverty. Yet, in the garbage dump of Anlong Pi, words acquire new meaning: it is here where, two years ago, a child defined happiness simply as seeing the sun shine every day. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: Two residents from the Anlong Pi rubbish dump search for recyclable material in the middle of tons of burnt waste on March 10, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. The considerable deterioration of the quality of the air is just one of several new factors that have gradually made life in this place unsuitable for any human being. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - JUNE 11: A group of young scavengers, holding the sacs in which they deposit the recyclable material they have found in the tons of trash, run to their shelter after a storm breaks over the burning pile of trash in the Anlong Pi landfill on June 11, 2014 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana / Getty Images
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: A young boy takes a rest during a long day of digging through tons of rubbish searching for recyclable materials in the Anlong Pi landfill on March 10, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: A group of young scavengers digs through a pile of burnt waste searching for recyclable material in the Anlong Pi landfill on March 10, 2013 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: A scavenger of the "Anlong Pi dump" searches for recyclable material in the middle of clouds of toxic smoke on March 10, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - DECEMBER 13: A group of scavengers dig through a pile of waste searching for recyclable material in the Anlong Pi landfill on December 13, 2010 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: A young scavenger of the "Anlong Pi dump" searches for recyclable material in the middle of clouds of toxic smoke on March 10, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: A young scavenger of the "Anlong Pi dump" searches for recyclable material in the middle of clouds of toxic smoke on March 10, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: © Omar Havana
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© 2021 Omar Havana
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA - MARCH 10: Two of the residents of the Anlong Pi rubbish dump keep working at night time with the help of a head torch on March 10, 2013 near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Residents suffer from the biggest health problems due to the landfill, as they continually breathe air composed of methane gas. Photo: © Omar Havana
Public Story
The Angkor Hell
Credits:
omar havana
Date of Work:
01/01/10 - 01/01/15
Updated: 01/21/20
Just a few dozen kilometers away from the world-famous Angkor temples, about 300 people have lived for the last three years in a rapidly expanding rubbish dump - fighting the daily realities of extreme poverty.
Since 2010, the situation in the Anlong Pi dump has worsened. An exponential increase in trash discarded in Siem Reap doubled the capacity of the landfill, resulting in harmful chemical and biological reactions between organic and inorganic compounds. These toxic by-products are washed away by rainwater, contaminating soil and groundwater, or emitted into the atmosphere after being burned in the form of gases polluting the air.
Over the past two years, workers at Along Pi have begun setting ablaze large areas of waste in order to make space for new rubbish. The combination of these factors has made the air increasingly dangerous for the health of the Anlong Pi residents, who breathe in toxic fumes on a daily basis. The deterioration of air quality is just one of several factors that have gradually made life in Anlong Pi unsuitable for any human being. In recent months, visits by tourists to the dump have increased considerably, turning extreme poverty into a tourist attraction without considering the psychological impact of these visits for the inhabitants of Anlong Pi.
Photography: © Omar Havana. All Rights Reserved
Story published in Al Jazeera English and The Diplomat
Part of this story was done on assignment for Getty Images