Environment and natural resources
Lao officials to inform neighboring countries about dam construction schedule
A delegation of Lao officials will visit two neighboring countries to inform them about the commencement of construction work on a controversial 260-megawatt hydropower dam on the Mekong River, a Lao official with knowledge of the issue said on 14 October. Three lower Mekong countries – ...
Vietnam tightens control over projects that need massive forest clearance
Vietnam will stop granting licenses to public and commercial projects that take over forest land but do not have a feasible plan to plant new trees, an official said. Keep reading ...
Surge in Red River hurts Vietnamese crops
After hydrologists warned last week that huge discharges of water from Chinese reservoirs upstream would flood the Hong (Red River) in the north, water levels have risen sharply, damaging ships and destroying crops. The Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) newspaper reported that the water discharge ...
Thai Forest Department department reclaims land for Hmong
Authorities have agreed to draft a master plan for zoning the Phuttubberk forest in Phetchabun’s Lom Kao district to allow hill tribe minorities to live and work there. The plan is also designed to keep resort business operators away. Keep reading ...
Vietnamese among the most socially conscious consumers: global survey
Vietnamese consumers are the most socially-conscious among Southeast Asians, with 86 percent expressing their willingness to pay extra for products and services from firms which are committed to positive social and environmental impact, a new Nielsen survey found. The survey also showed that consumers in Southeast ...
Provinces in Mekong Delta seeing less rain, may face severe drought
As usual at this time of year, water from upstream in the Mekong River flows forward and causes floods in Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces. But so far, water levels at river monitoring portal stations are the lowest ever. The objective reason is the El Nino ...
Vietnam wakes up to disaster possibilities after China discharges water in river
The National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting has reported unusual flooding in the Red River in northern Vietnam since 11 October following heavy inflows from China, where massive volumes of water have allegedly been discharged from dams. Though there has been no human casualty, the flooding has ...
Three resorts face encroachment counts in Thai national park
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation will file charges against three resort owners accused of forest land encroachment in Phu Rua district of this province. The resorts reportedly belong to state officials, including a retired senior forest official. Keep reading ...
Elephant poachers arrested in Ngapudaw, Myanmar
Two members of an elephant-poaching gang have been arrested in Ngapudaw township in Ayeyarwady Region’s Pathein district, but at least one other person associated with the group remains at large, the Department of Forestry said in a statement released on 13 October. Keep reading ...
Vietnam commits to cut greenhouse gases 8% a year by 2030
Vietnam hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8 per cent a year by 2030. This is equal to about 787.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Deputy Minister of Nature Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha announced this on 12 October at a conference in Hanoi. ...
