As a hospitality company, MAADS shares many values with our friends and partners at 4 Rivers, from ecologically responsible solutions (wastewater treatment, for example) to community involvement such as the school they developed for the nearby village and their ongoing contribution to wildlife preservation.
According to 4 Rivers founders Anna and Valentin Pawlik, "on the morning of July 17, 2018, the water flow of the river increased violently, also carrying huge (some 15m long, 60cm diameter) wood logs that were stuck in the reservoir before.
4 Rivers Floating Lodge, severely hit by wood logs and strong currents, lost all its attachments. Ropes of 3cm diameter snapped under the pressure and the metal structure of the resort twisted and broke into 6 separate pieces. Parts of the hotel, with 40 people, adults and children, on it, were thrown by the currents over 8 kilometers downriver, all the way to Koh Smach island".
Anna and Valentin paid tribute to "the courage of our team while salvaging pieces of 4 Rivers, but also the massive backing of our neighbors in Tatai Village, Koh Andet and Koh Smach Islands. Even though their houses were flooded, they rushed to save the team at 4 Rivers. We are also thankful to our friends and partners from Wildlife Alliance whom immediately intervened with speedboats, ropes and tools, and to the team of our neighboring Cardamom Tented Camp whom are on site right now helping to dismantle and salvage the remaining pieces of 4 Rivers".
Support is now flowing in from the lodge's suppliers, travel agents partners and many of "our guests that visited us in the past and fell in love with 4 Rivers, calling to offered us financial help".
4Rivers Lodge was designed and developed prior to the opening of the dam operated by CTH on the Tatai River. The eventuality of such drastic and sudden changes in water flow and level will surely be taken into consideration when a new lodge is rebuilt.
More and more extreme weather conditions due to global climate change have to be factored in.
We wish success to the whole 4Rivers team on this new page of the lodge history, and we have no doubt their experience will be shared with the many local villagers whose dwellings have also been severely damaged.