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Laos Backtracks on Controversial Xayaburi Dam
July 17th, 2012
Courtesy of The Diplomat, an article on Laos’ decision to suspend work on the Xayaburi dam: After months of speculation and ambiguity, Laos finally publicly confirmed on Friday that work had been suspended on the controversial Xayaburi dam, the first large mainstream dam along the resource-rich Mekong River which runs through China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, […]
Read more »Clinton Urges Mekong Nations To Avoid US Dam Mistakes
July 15th, 2012
Via Terra Daily, an article on the Xayaburi project: The US on Friday urged Mekong nations to learn from its mistakes in river infrastructure projects, as Laos confirmed it has postponed a controversial multi-billion dollar dam project. The $3.8 billion hydroelectric project at Xayaburi has sharply divided the four Mekong nations — Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia […]
Read more »Managing South Asia’s Himalayan Rivers
June 30th, 2012
Via East Asia Forum, an article on the issues of managing south Asia’s rivers: The great Himalayan rivers of South Asia, particularly the Ganges and Brahmaputra, have been the subject of five decades of discussion between governments of the region. While the discussions have continued, these rivers have contributed, through flood and drought, to the […]
Read more »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 »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), […]
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