Renowned hydrology expert Wang Weiluo says the Chinese Communist Party is looking to utilize the Mekong River in the same way the undertaking of the Three Gorges Dam colossus was viewed as […]
Chinese regime controls ASEAN countries via Mekong ‘water tap,’ expert says
Southeast Asia’s “mother of waters” has become a political bargaining chip in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The only country located entirely on the Mekong River’s upper reaches, the […]
What rivers with rights mean for the Mekong
What does the decision to recognize the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers as living entities mean for the construction of the controversial Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams on the Mekong River?
An alternate past/future for Mekong River dams under the UN Watercourses Convention
This three-part article by international water law consultant Rémy Kinna looks at dams in the Mekong. Kinna examines the existing legal framework for regulating dam development in the region and how its legal gaps and ambiguities have led to ongoing disputes (particularly in regard to the Xayaburi Dam in Laos), and how to improve dispute resolution and strengthen water governance across the Mekong River mainstream and its tributaries under the UN Watercourses Convention.
Mekong Delta loses half of silt to upstream dams: scientists
A soft shield of silt that took over 6,000 years to form and which protects the ‘rice bowl’ of Vietnam against intrusion from seawater, erosion and declining groundwater levels has been seriously stripped by Chinese dams on the Mekong River, say experts. Half of the river’s essential sediment is now trapped upstream and the delta may be in jeopardy of disappearing altogether. Thanh Nien News reports.
Dams ‘destroying Mekong fish stock’
Hydro development of the Mekong River is causing downstream flow to become uneven, driving fish away and throwing the region’s food security into jeopardy. The Nation reports.
Will China’s dams control the Mekong’s flow?
Low water levels and stranded boats on the upper Mekong River — although, nothing new for a February in recent years — are once again stirring concerns over China’s dam-building program to the north. What is new is the apparent readiness of Chinese authorities to give an account of their actions to rectify the situation. The Lowy Interpreter reports.
Thai lawsuit filed to block Laotian dam on Mekong
(August 13, 2012) Thai opponents of the proposed Xayaburi dam for the Mekong River in Laos are taking their case to court. A group of Thai villages have filed a lawsuit to block a state-run company from buying electricity generated by the dam in a bid to halt the project, opposed by downstream nations, altogether and set a precedent for future cross-border projects.
The First Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEE-Net) training workshop – source materials
(Monday, May 11, 2009) Find here all powerpoint presentation files used at the first ever MEE-Net training workshop that took place in Thailand from 11 May to 30 May 2009. As Probe […]
China and the Cascading Geopolitics of Lower Mekong Dams
(May 10, 2011) Much has been written on the downstream impact of China’s dams on the Lancang-Mekong River, which flows through or along the borders of five other countries after exiting China. Most of the discussion relates to the hydrological impact of impounding water in the eight dams along the mainstream Lancang Jiang in Yunnan Province.
China’s Mekong development costs neighbours plenty
(March 30, 2011) Communities dependent on the Mekong River for income and food say upstream dam development by China has disordered the river and endangered livelihoods.According to longtime residents who live alongside the river , topsy turvy tide flows caused by dam operation have brought floods, ruined crops, and made planning ahead impossible. With more hydropower projects on the cards, locals fear China is the only beneficiary of changes to the Mekong – a 5000 km waterway that flows through six countries.
Tsunamis in the Mekong River?
(March 26, 2011) The dramatic events following the recent Japanese earthquake, triggering an unprecedented tsunami and a serious nuclear reactor incident at Fukushima points out rather glaringly the adverse impacts arising from natural disasters caused by seismic activities and exacerbated by man-made structures.
Mekong Utility Watch: The Xayaburi dam
(February 25, 2011) Recent news coverage about the proposed Xayaburi dam in Laos is summarized below.
Mekong River: Challenges from deforestation and water transfer
(November 23, 2010) The flow of the river will be weakened seriously or it can dry out completely if its waters is transferred to other rivers, like a man who loses his blood, wrote Prof., Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Tran.
NGOs campaign to defer dams construction in Lower Mekong Basin
(September 8, 2010) Probe International is named as one of the groups calling on the Mekong River Commission to halt construction of dams on the Mekong River.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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