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Angkor's Water Crisis: The Canal That Dried Up
Description
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the engineering marvels and fatal flaws of Angkor's water management system. They focus on the massive canal network that connected the city to Tonle Sap and the Mekong, and how siltation and climate shifts turned a lifeline into a death sentence. The story of the East Baray's abandonment and the failed attempt to redirect water from the Puok River reveals a civilization struggling against its own success. Drawing on lidar data from the Greater Angkor Project and inscriptions from Preah Khan, they trace how water shortages led to population decline, political instability, and the eventual move to Phnom Penh. This is not a story of sudden conquest alone—it's about a slow-motion ecological collapse that left Angkor vulnerable.