The Mohana 

This is the story of a slow disappearance—that of the Mohana, a fishing community that has lived for generations on Lake Manchar in southern Pakistan. This lake, the largest in the country, was once a nourishing and sacred ecosystem. But now this sanctuary is dying under decades of pollution and reduced freshwater inflow. A canal built in the 1990s channelled agricultural runoff, industrial effluents, and urban sewage directly into the lake. Climate change and upstream dams have accelerated the ecological breakdown.

Once a nomadic people, the Mohana—descendants of the first peoples of the Indus Valley—lived on floating dwellings called Galiyo, drawing their food, water and identity from the lake. Fish were abundant, and migratory birds shared the wetlands with them. Today, both have nearly vanished. With no fish and no clean water, most Mohana have been forced onto the shores, surviving in fragile shelters along the brackish water while poverty spreads.

As younger generations turn to other aspirations, their culture erodes. Through this series, the fate of the Mohana becomes a larger question: what becomes of a culture when the environment that shaped it disappears?

Guillaume Petermann

Guillaume is a French photographer based in Brussels, Belgium. His work covers a wide range of subjects, with a focus on travel, cultural, social, and environmental documentary. As a photojournalist and visual storyteller, he explores themes such as nature conservation, cultural preservation, sustainability, and environmental protection.

He currently contributes as a photojournalist for the Zeppelin Agency, and his work regularly appears in publications including The Guardian, De Volkskrant, Animan, Rhythms Monthly, GEO Ado, Asian Geographic, and others.

Over the years, Guillaume has received numerous awards, including a first prize in the Professional Travel category at the 2023 International Photography Awards (IPA), and Photographer of the Year in the Travel category at the 2023 reFocus Awards. His work has also been exhibited in galleries, museums, and festivals around the world.

In addition to his editorial work, Guillaume collaborates with various United Nations agencies, NGOs, and travel organizations.