Authorities in Kandal province’s Kien Svay district on Wednesday confiscated an excavator, which police say was being used to dig an illegal water basin.

The basin would have been created by digging a small channel for water and fish from a reservoir to travel into a small pond dug at the end, Kien Svay District Governor Ou Chheang said yesterday.

People who do this often use tree branches and other debris to cover the small pond, and then wait until hot season, when the water begins to evaporate, to easily catch the fish trapped there.

“It is hazardous to dig to create illegal fishing plots,” said Chheang, who added that it drains water and fish from the reservoir, which is meant to benefit all local residents.

“This action was not permitted, and it would not be allowed if someone had asked.”

When police and military officials tried to catch the perpetrator on Wednesday, the person wasn’t at the scene, but had left the excavator, which is currently in police custody, said Men Makara, a provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc.