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Cambodia Scraps Plans for Mekong Hydropower Dams
March 20th, 2020
Via The Guardian, a report on Cambodia’s decision to scraps plans for Mekong hydropower dams: A Cambodian government decision to postpone building new hydropower dams on the Mekong river has been welcomed by campaigners, who say it will provide welcome relief to the tens of thousands of people whose livelihood depend upon its rich resources. Cambodia announced […]
Read more »Drought in the Mekong Region Prompts Calls for Greater Regional Cooperation
March 18th, 2020
Courtesy of Future Directions International, a look at how drought in the Mekong Region has prompted calls for greater regional cooperation: The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was established in 1995 to strengthen joint efforts and partnerships for the sustainable management and development of water resources in mainland South-East Asia. The MRC includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China To Help Manage Mekong Amid Warnings of Dam Danger
February 22nd, 2020
Via Reuters, a report on China’s efforts to help its downstream neighbors manage drought via Mekong River releases: China on Thursday said it was helping its downstream neighbors cope with a prolonged drought by releasing more water from its dams on the Mekong River, adding it would consider sharing information on hydrology to provide further […]
Read more »Damming the Lower Mekong: A River No Longer Runs Through It
February 18th, 2020
Courtesy of The New York Times, a detailed report on how current and planned dams on the Mekong River are choking a lifeline for 60 million people: The water is so clear on the Mekong River in northeastern Thailand that the sunlight pierces through to the riverbed, transforming the waterway into a glinting, empty aquarium. It […]
Read more »Did Vietnam Just Doom The Mekong: Dam Diplomacy and the Geopolitics of the Mekong
November 30th, 2019
Via The Diplomat, an article on a recent policy reversal on Mekong dams that has put Hanoi’s credibility – and the river’s fate – on the line: The recent decision by a Vietnamese oil company, Petrovietnam, to invest in a huge dam close to the much-loved World Heritage Site in Luang Prabang, Laos, has caused confusion […]
Read more »How Climate Change, Dams, and Geopolitics Threaten The Mekong’s Future
November 7th, 2019
Via Foreign Affairs, an article on the troubles facing the Mekong River: On October 29, Laos unveiled a new dam in the country’s north. The 1.3-gigawatt Xayaburi dam sits on the Mekong River, which flows the length of the country. Laos plans to build nearly a hundred like it by 2020—many with direct funding and […]
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