Environment and natural resources
Plans to tackle Mekong plastic pollution take shape
Researchers plan to assess plastic waste leakage into the Mekong River system as part of efforts to protect the mighty river. Government officials and researchers from the four Mekong countries will join forces to assess plastic waste leakage into the Mekong River system. This will be done ...
Vientiane Times / ANN
Mekong Delta faces historic salinity threat
Vietnam’s Mekong Delta will suffer salt intrusion at levels that would beat the 2016 record this month, meteorologists have warned. In the period of March 11-15, salinity will rise to eventually trump the levels of mid-February and the same period in 2016, according to the hydrological ...
Minh Nga
Meet Thailand's secret weapon in climate change battle
Bangkok’s future hangs in the balance. Rising sea levels, unchecked development, groundwater extraction, and rapid urban population growth has left millions vulnerable to natural disasters — scientists warn the city itself may not survive the century. New analysis by the Nestpick 2050 Climate Change City Index says ...
Lillian SUWANRUMPHA
As the Mekong Withers, China Releases Water from Controversial Upstream Dams
A top-ranking Chinese official declared that the country is releasing more water from its dams on the upper Mekong River in order to aid drought-stricken downstream neighbors. The announcement from Foreign Minister Wang Yi, made at a meeting of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation group, comes as the beleaguered ...
Kayla Ritter
Xayaburi Dam Dispels Rumors of Role in Dry Mekong River
Amid an ongoing drought and low water levels, the state of the Mekong River is a topic that is animating discussion along the watercourse, with sights often aimed squarely at the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Plant. To help clear the waters, the project owners invited regional ...
Steven Cleary
‘Environment hero’ Nguy Thi Khanh receives US$2 million award
With her initiatives and great efforts to help protect the environment, Nguy Thi Khanh has become the first Vietnamese Climate Breakthrough Project awardee. Born in Bac Giang, near a thermal power plant which emits smoke all year round, Khanh witnessed many people suffering from cancer and ...
Survey Finds Decade-High Numbers of Irrawaddy Dolphins
The number of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins found in Myanmar this year has increased to 79, the highest in a decade, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Myanmar (WCS). The numbers include seven calves aged three months or younger. The Irrawaddy dolphins can also be found ...
Zarni Mann
More ports along Mekong river planned
The construction of more ports along the Mekong River has been planned with an aim to improve the transport of agricultural products along the river. Sun Chanthol, Senior Minister and Minister of Public Works and Transport, said that two more ports would be constructed – one ...
Chea Vannak
Mekong Delta's city hit by saltwater intrusion in rivers
Can Tho is the latest to fall to the relentless flow of seawater into Mekong Delta rivers. The city is nearly 100 kilometer from the sea. A saline meter used at Cai Cui port in Cai Rang District on Wednesday read 3,500 parts per thousand (ppt), ...
Cuu Long
Mekong Delta parched in aftermath of 2019 El Nino
Parched fields, cracked earth and dry water channels are nothing unusual in the Mekong Delta, which is facing yet another drought this year. Hai Phuong wakes up at 4:30 a.m. every day and makes his way to the field. The 45-year-old in Tran Hoi Commune, Tran Van ...
Hoang Hanh, Cuu Long, Hoang Nam