Environment and natural resources
Mekong reels from drought, saltwater
Drought and saltwater intrusion have worsened in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta this year, threatening rice crops and the daily life of residents. Le Thanh Hai, deputy director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said: “Saltwater intrusion [began in] November 2015, one and half months ...
Fish kill blamed on pollution
A total of 1,119 tonnes of fish raised in cages along the Cai Vung River died from 3 to 9 February, according to the latest statistics released by the An Giang and Dong Thap provinces’ agricultural sector on 15 February. The Cai Vung River is the ...
Water shipped to parched Banteay Meanchey locale
At least 600 families in the remote Svay Chek district of Banteay Meanchey province are being threatened by a shortage of drinking water that began earlier this month, a provincial official said on 16 February. The water in the wells and rivers has been drying up ...
Koh Kong sand dredging impact studies due
The Ministry of Mines and Energy plans to release the environmental impact assessments of two controversial sand-dredging companies in Koh Kong “soon”, ministry spokesman Meng Saktheara said on 15 February. Activists from NGO Mother Nature – three of whom have been arrested for interfering with the ...
Programme to focus on sustainable production
Seventy per cent of enterprises with high energy needs and emissions and 50 per cent of industrial production establishments will apply clean and energy-saving technologies by 2020. This is the agenda of a newly approved national action programme on sustainable production and consumption for the period ...
The Mekong river: Damned if you do
The Mekong watershed nurtures extraordinary biodiversity, with new species of plants and animals discovered every year. It has also nurtured humans. Tens of millions of people—much of the population of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam—depend on the Mekong. Planners think the Mekong has a gift to give: hydropower. ...
Cambodian CSOs seek Lao dam discussion at summit
Frustrated by Laos ploughing ahead with its controversial Don Sahong dam despite past promises to consult neighbouring countries, Cambodian civil society representatives have called on Prime Minister Hun Sen, US President Barack Obama and ASEAN chair Le Luong Minh to raise the issue at next week’s ...
Action programme on sustainable production and consumption approved
Seventy per cent of enterprises in Vietnam with high energy needs and emissions and 50 per cent of industrial production establishments will apply clean and energy-saving technologies by 2020. This is the agenda of a newly approved national action programme on sustainable production and consumption for ...
Cambodian activists want Laos dam on US-ASEAN agenda
Civil society groups are calling for Laos’ Don Sahong hydropower dam project to be discussed when Southeast Asian leaders meet with President Barack Obama next week at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, California. The unprecedented U.S.-hosted ASEAN summit comes amid increased efforts by the Obama ...
Lang Biang reserve a hot spot for biodiversity
The Lang Biang Biosphere Reserve is home to an array of species, making it ideal for research and eco-tourism. It has been seven years since Dr Brandon Buckley from Columbia University in New York cooperated with the Bidoup – Nui Ba National Park in Lam Dong ...
