Environment and natural resources
Mekong River flooding communities throughout the northeast
The rising Mekong River has resulted in flooding in Mukdaharn province and brought flood warnings to all riverside communities. A rise of 10 centimeters in the Mekong River in Mukdaharn province has allowed it to 0verflow its 12.5 meter high banks for a second time this ...
Samlot rife with land grabs
Authorities are facing mounting pressure to safeguard the Samlot Protected Area, where villagers and wealthy land-grabbers continue to trespass to start orchards and claim ownership of the plots. The area, which straddles Battambang and Pailin provinces, is jointly protected by the Ministry of Environment and ...
Study shows forest conservation is a powerful tool to improve nutrition in developing nations
A first-of-its-kind global study shows that children in 27 developing countries have better nutrition—when they live near forests. The results turn on its head the common assumption that improving nutrition in poorer countries requires clearing forests for more farmland—and, instead, suggest that forest conservation could be an important ...
Living in fear along the Mekong
The collapse of a dam at the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower project in Laos was tragic. Immediate assessments say that 39 people died, many suffered injuries and thousands were left homeless, with their means of income lost for the foreseeable future. Beyond these numbers, ...
Southeast Asia May Be Building Too Many Dams Too Fast
The disaster has brought into focus the ambitious agenda of Laos, one of the region’s poorest countries, to turn itself into “the battery of Southeast Asia” by building dozens of hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River and its tributaries and selling power to neighboring countries. ...
Mekong region faces even greater forest losses, WWF warns
Top environmental group says countries on mainland Southeast Asia need to ramp up their forest protection policies or face the threat of millions of hectares being lost to ‘development’ and infrastructure projects over coming decades. Read ...
Laos dam collapse: Mekong River projects move forward despite promise to halt and review
Decision to continue work on two huge dams calls into question how serious the government is about reviewing numerous multibillion-dollar hydropower projects after last month’s disaster. Keep reading ...
Activists brace for new war on agri-chemicals
THE CALLS for a ban on the use of paraquat and two other farm chemicals seen as dangerous are growing louder again, as a government-appointed panel is set to discuss the issue at its first meeting tomorrow. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha set up the panel ...
Parasites in water supply potential risk for disease transmission in Southeast Asia
The presence of parasites in both raw and treated water supply in Southeast Asian countries can be a potential risk for disease transmission. The Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA) vice president Prof Datuk Dr Khairul Anuar Abdullah said therefore, that ...
Developers Press Ahead With Dams, Despite Lao Order to Halt New Hydropower Projects
Developers of two proposed hydropower projects in Laos are pressing ahead with plans to build the mega-dams on the Mekong River, despite a recent order by the government to halt new dam investments following a deadly breach in July that killed 35 people and displaced ...
