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The Mighty Mekong No Longer?
March 13th, 2010
A pair of articles examining the increased tensions between Thailand and China over Mekong River water. As the first report notes, the Thai government has been quick to blame Chinese dams on the upper stretches of the river, but that may not be fair. “…The Bangkok Post ran this story on 22 February: Ever since […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: Hydropower Projects On Tibet’s Main Rivers
February 20th, 2010
Courtesy of The Tibetan Plateau, an updated report on hydropower projects on three of the major rivers that flow from Tibet: the Yangtze, the Salween and the Mekong. As the article notes: “…Tibetans proudly sing of their land as “the Land of Snows, the source of great rivers.” Indeed, Tibet is widely regarded as “Asia’s […]
Read more »Mekong Under Threat
January 13th, 2010
Courtesy of The Asia Pacific Journal, an examination of the threats facing the Mekong River. As the article notes: “…Until the 1980s the Mekong River flowed freely for 4,900 kilometres from its 5,100-metre high source in Tibet to the coast of Vietnam, where it finally poured into the South China Sea. The Mekong is the world’s twelfth longest […]
Read more »The Transformation Of The Mekong River
December 18th, 2009
Courtesy of The New York Times, a report on the Mekong River which flows through six countries, all of which have various needs and uses for its waters. As the article notes: “…The Mekong has long held a mystique for outsiders, whether they be American G.I.’s in the Delta during the Vietnam War or ill-starred […]
Read more »The Mekong: A Flood of Worry About The Impact of China’s Dams
August 31st, 2008
Via Japan Focus, a detailed look at the impact that major floods of the Mekong have had upon Southeast Asia, not only in an environmental/economic sense, but also from a political perspective. Many countries are asking whether China is responsible for the heavy flood damage, as its cascade of dams on the Mekong have been […]
Read more »Averting Water Wars in Asia – Will Tibet’s Waters Really Save China?
January 15th, 2008
Several months ago, The International Herald Tribune presciently (in our opinion) noted that sharpening Asian competition over energy resources had obscured a far more critical threat that water shortages pose for the region’s rapid economic modernization. Water, in fact, has emerged as a key issue that could determine if Asia is headed toward cooperation or […]
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