Rivers and lakes
The Mekong
Mekong survey draws protests
A network of environmentalists is getting ready to protest against a Chinese government survey of the Khon Pi Long rapids in Chiang Rai. The Chinese team on April 18 began its 50-day study of the rapids, which lie along the Mekong River. Environmentalists fear China wants ...
Joint panel discusses prior consultation process for Pakbaeng dam
Delegates from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam met on April 4 at the second meeting of the Joint Committee Working Group on the procedures for notification, prior consultation and agreement for the Pakbeng hydropower project. The Pakbaeng hydropower project is one of the five Mekong mainstream ...
Diversify food sources, experts tell forum
Cambodia needs to diversify its food sources and improve marine conservation efforts amid dwindling numbers of fish stocks in the Mekong River, which remains one of the main sources of fish for Cambodians, experts said on March 30. During a Sustainable Mekong Research Network (Sumernet) forum ...
Villagers urged to swap fishing for ecotourism
The Tourism Minister has called on riverside communities in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces to avoid fishing in areas where dolphins live to attract visitors who want to see the rare creatures. Thong Khon’s call came as the government prepared to open the third annual River ...
Saving Vietnam's floating markets
Amid mighty rivers and dense mangroves, the busy floating markets in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have long shaped the delta’s well-known “water civilization.” As many as a dozen floating markets still remain along major waterways around the delta, where boats, houses, and markets float upon the ...
Cambodia’s Sambor dam plans causes controversy as public left in the Dark
“If the dam is built, it will be like before, in the time of the Khmer Rouge when we all had to move,” said Plau Saret, 44, of Domrae Village on the Mekong River island of Koh Tnaot, right next to the proposed Sambor Dam ...
Call for ban on Mekong dams
A group of 50 youth, community and civil society representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand gathered to celebrate the International Day of Action for Rivers in Kratie province on March 14. They used the event in Sambo district to urge the government and the ...
Mekong riverbanks to be restored
Mines Ministry officials on March 9 announced a project to shore up sections of the Mekong river affected by erosion that threatens families in Kandal province’s Mok Kampol district. Fifty-nine families living along the river say they have been affected by riverbank collapses. Speaking to about 100 ...
Mekong water diplomacy vital
Dr Lê Tuấn Anh, deputy director of the Research Institute for Climate Change at Cần Thơ University, speaks to Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper about the negative impact of climate change. Do you anticipate that in 2017 the Mekong Delta region will face a drought as severe as last year’s? ...
Water experts: Myanmar needs to prepare for climate change
With the threat of climate change and population growth, Myanmar – a nation rich in water resources – has to put in place proper measures to ensure water security for the future, experts said. National University of Singapore’s Assistant Professor Dr Winston Chow, who has ...