This story, with its cast of dams, river diversions, aquifer depletion and lake drainage, makes water a huge matter of concern.

ECONOMIST: Water

Mok Mareth, the environment minister, initially raised concerns that filling in the lake would do serious damage to Phnom Penh's drainage system.

ECONOMIST: The poor pay for a property boom

To address this problem, drainage canals were built going from the heart of the city out to Lake Pontchartrain.

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