Environment and natural resources
Mekong bursts its banks, flows into Pakxe
The water in the Mekong River is currently above the danger level in Champassak province and has flooded some parts of Pakxe, while in Khammuan province the river has almost reached the danger mark. But in Khammuan it is the Xebangfai River that has overflowed ...
Laos' Dam Disaster May Not Be Its Last
The Lao dam disaster in Attapeu province has cast a long, dark shadow of doubt about the safety standards and viability of dozens of other hydropower projects. This entirely preventable man-made catastrophe left 6,000 people homeless from floods and over 1,000 villagers unaccounted for. Keep reading ...
Myanmar endures worst of Mekong monsoon floods
Monsoon rains have pummelled the Mekong region in recent days with Myanmar bearing the brunt of flooding that has forced 150,000 to flee and threatens to destroy levees shielding thousands of homes. Keep reading ...
Laos gambles on becoming ‘battery of Southeast Asia’
The collapse of a hydroelectric dam in Laos last week has reinvigorated a debate on the potential consequences of the country’s fervent building of dams, leaving many to question if the rewards outweigh the risks. Keep reading ...
Mekong-Ganga countries to boost ties in water resources management
Six countries of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and India, have agreed to enhance cooperation in managing and sustainably using water resources. Foreign ministers of the MGC countries reached the consensus at their ninth meeting on August 2 within the framework ...
Dammed Mekong: lasting challenges for the region’s energy security
The recent collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam in Laos shows Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to natural disasters and highlights the importance of emergency preparedness, safety regulation, and sustainable development planning in energy security policies. It also demonstrates the growing asymmetry that’s emanating from an economic ...
Lao hydropower dam disaster offers great lessons on safety: expert
The hydropower dam collapse in Laos should be seen as a valuable lesson about dam safety, according to Dao Trong Tu from the Vietnam River Network. Keep reading ...
Exclusive: Illegal Tiger Trade Fed by ‘Tiger Farms,’ New Evidence Reveals
A shocking video and new intelligence suggest that legal and illegal captive tiger facilities fuel Asia’s tiger trafficking—with brutal efficiency. Keep reading ...
Mekong River water level above warning line in Southern Laos, flooding 161 villages
The governor of Lao province Champasak, Bounthong Divixay, said that until Monday, the water level of the Mekong River is 49 centimeters above the warning line and over a hundred villages around the province are flooded, including 24 villages of the province’s capital city Pakse, ...
Mekong Delta asked to prepare natural disaster prevention plans
Deputy chief of the Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Nguyen Truong Son asked localities in the Mekong Delta region to prepare measures to cope with natural disasters at a meeting in Hanoi on July 31. Keep reading ...
