News

Mekong River Commission Says Dams Are Causing of Sharp Shifts in Water Levels

The Mekong River Commission Tuesday acknowledged that climate change played a role in this year’s widely varying water levels on the Mekong, but said that dam construction was the main culprit in sharp water level increases and decreases, emphasizing a need for data-sharing between countries. The ...

Eugene Whong

The Promise and Pitfalls of Hydropower Development Along the Mekong River

The collapse of a dam this summer in southeastern Laos, which triggered massive flooding that killed dozens and displaced thousands of people, has brought a renewed focus on hydroelectric dams in mainland Southeast Asia. Proponents of hydroelectric dams argue they will bring benefits in the ...

How better hydropower planning can avert future disasters on the Mekong

The collapse of the Xepian-Xe Nam hydropower dam in Sanamxay district of Attapeu Province, Lao PDR on July 23 is a major tragedy that took the lives of at least 34 Laotians, with at least 100 more still missing and thousands displaced. Some 50 days on, ...

The hidden costs of hydropower

Hydropower is one of Southeast Asia’s biggest renewable energy sources, however, many still remain oblivious to the damaging side-effects of hydropower projects. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), hydropower capacity in the region grew almost threefold from 16 GW to 44 GW between ...

Hydropower in Cambodia could threaten food security of region

Farmers and anglers in Cambodia depend on the Mekong River’s predictable seasonal patterns, but new dams for hydroelectricity are altering the hydrology of the river. These changes have the potential to threaten fish migration, livelihoods, and regional food security. Keep reading   ...

HydroCalculator: new, free, online tool helps citizens assess dams

Mega-dam construction is booming around the world, with promoters hyping hydropower as a green, renewable source of energy and a means of curbing climate change. But as these dams are built in the Amazon, Mekong and elsewhere, they’re doing great environmental and social damage and ...

Hydropower production possible in Rakhine: officials

A team of officials has studied several rivers in Rakhine State and concluded that some are suitable for hydropower production, sources say. The officials inspected and measured headwater of the Nanyar River in Yathedaung Township on August 12. Yathedaung MP Than Naing, who accompanied the ...

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