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Water Grabbing In The Mekong Basin
June 7th, 2012
Via Water Alternatives.org, a new paper examining the winners & losers of Thailand’s hydropower development in Lao PDR: ABSTRACT: There are currently over 60 tributary and mainstream dams planned or under construction in Lao PDR with 95% of the electricity from these dams slated to be exported to neighbouring countries. In the Mekong basin, the […]
Read more »Damming The Mekong: Opening The Floodgates?
May 6th, 2012
Via The Economist, another look at the proposed Xayaburi dam in northern Laos: WHAT looked like an admittedly temporary reprieve for the swift currents and extraordinary biodiversity of the Mekong river is now over. In December the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an intergovernmental body made up of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, called again for […]
Read more »Cambodia Pressures Laos To Halt Work On Xayaburi Dam
May 4th, 2012
Two articles on the controversial Xayaburi dam . The first, via Asia Times: Cambodia has called for an immediate halt to the construction of the Xayaburi dam in an official protest note to Laos, officials said in a statement last week, as opposition to the hydropower project gained momentum in Thailand. Lim Kean Hor, Cambodia’s […]
Read more »World Bank Increases Support For Trans-Boundary Management Of The Mekong
April 7th, 2012
Via Xinhua.net, a report that the World Bank is augmenting its support of the trans-boundary management initiatives for the Mekong. As the article notes: The World Bank has committed more than 63.7 billion kip (about 8 million U.S. dollars) to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to promote trans-boundary management of regional river resources. While there […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Chinese Dam Building Tests Southeast Asian Resilience
March 21st, 2012
Courtesy of HydroLogic, a look at how China’s hydropower development activities on the Mekong and Salween Rivers are a clear illustration of the country’s potentially destabilizing strategy, with both diplomatic and environmental impacts, in Southeast Asia. As the article notes: “…These waterways, along with the Yangtze River (one of China’s domestic targets for intensive development), […]
Read more »Dammed If You Do; Damned If You Don’t: A Dam For The Mekong – Inevitable, or in Limbo?
December 14th, 2011
Via The New York Times, an updated look at the environment ministers from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Laos recent decision to await the results of further studies before making a decision on whether to proceed with construction of a dam in the Mekong River. As the article notes: As The Times reported last week, environment […]
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