Environment and natural resources
Pollution and waste
Illegal Dumping Poses Challenge for Waste Management Authorities
Illegal dumping and waste burning present a challenge to municipal solid waste management in Vientiane Capital, according to authorities. Household waste management in the nation’s capital stands at only 27 percent, while the remaining 73 percent of households in the capital do not use municipal waste ...
Latsamy Phonevilay
River Turns Red in Shan State, Burmese Blame Factories in China
“We have never seen water color changes like this before. This is the first time I have ever seen the water red. We don’t know what China has done!” Environmentalist have raised alarms in Myanmar after the water of the Shweli River separating China and the ...
Asia's plastic-polluted rivers pose a problem for Australia. So scientists are turning to drones
It’s one of 10 rivers in the world that collectively contribute up to 95 per cent of plastic in the ocean. Running for more than 4,000 kilometres, the Mekong River flows through six countries, starting in China and making its way through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia ...
Amy Bainbridge
From drink bottles to tobacco sachets, UN study traces plastic pollution hot spots in the Mekong and Ganges
Municipal trash dumped at an open landfill in Thailand risks filling a nearby tributary of the Mekong river with plastic waste whenever it is rainy or windy. Along India’s Ganges river, small sachets that used to wrap chewing tobacco are abundant, but are difficult to collect ...
Tan Hui Yee
New UN initiative to reduce plastic pollution from ASEAN cities
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in partnership with the Government of Japan, today launched a new project which aims to reduce the environmental impact of cities in South East Asia by addressing plastic waste pollution in rivers ...
Govt seeks Myanmar, Laos talks to deal with haze
Thailand will seek talks with Myanmar and Laos to lend strength to the fight against haze and smog pollution, according to Jatuporn Buruspat, the natural resources and environment permanent secretary. The government will seek cooperation from Myanmar and Laos authorities to jointly deal with the seasonal ...
APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
Ridding the Mekong of Plastic Poison
Plastic waste in the world’s oceans is raising international alarm. Recent research shows that 90 % of the plastic that ends up in the oceans is delivered by just 10 river systems. The Mekong River that winds through Southeast Asia is one of them. The ...
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 nations to address choking plastic pollution
Vietnam and three Mekong neighbors will join hands to assess plastic waste leakage into the river system in a bid to fight plastic pollution in the region. Fifty government officials and university researchers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam gathered to discuss assessment methodologies to study ...
Minh Nga
Mekong countries agree to conduct plastic waste study
Government officials and researchers from Mekong river countries on Wednesday agreed to assess plastic waste pollution in the region and take action to reduce it. The agreement was made by 50 government officials and researchers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam during a meeting in Vientiane ...
Pech Sotheary