Xinhua News Agency
February 14, 2000

The World Bank announced Monday that it has approved a Global Environment Facility grant of 11 million U.S. dollars to support the Mekong River Commission ( MRC) in promoting and improving sustainable water management in the Mekong River Basin, as well as protecting the environment, aquatic life, and the ecological balance of the region. The MRC is an inter-governmental organization of the four lower Mekong Basin states: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Water Utilization Project aims to support the MRC in developing an integrated and comprehensive Basin hydrologic modeling package and a functional and integrated knowledge base on water and related  resources and use these tools to establish ” Rules,” one of MRC’s five major goals.

The rules, or obligations, of the member states will establish guidelines for water utilization and ecological protection, primarily the sensitive ecological systems including wetlands and flooded forests.

“The Mekong Basin possesses a large portion of the region’s potential water sources. These water sources have the ability to support economic growth through irrigation, hydropower, navigation, water supply, and tourism,” said Mei Xie, water resources management specialist for the World Bank. “This grant will support MRC and the member states to ensure that development of the water resources is carried out in a sustainable manner that preservers the environment.”

The project will be implemented by the MRC who will work through a Secretariat located in Phnom Penh and through the National Mekong Committees, with national line agencies, local communities, and other stakeholders such as the private sector and non-governmental organizations to enhance the project’s sustainability.

While this project has a seven-year span, it should be seen as a step on a long road, aiming to provide an opportunity to bring governments together for meaningful and successful interactions on improved and sustainable basin management, the World Bank said.