Mekong is half-dead
“If the Mekong were a human, she would be half-dead, because everything has completely changed,” said Niwat Roykaew, a Goldman Environmental Prize recipient who has been leading the movement for river conservation for over 20 years.
“This is big. The change of water level, the disappearance of sediments and the increasing level of waste. These are things that impact the river.”
Niwat founded the Chiang Kong Conservation group in 1999, with the aim of protecting local water resources and strengthening people’s networks in the river basin.
A transboundary issue
When it’s about water, however, everywhere in the world is connected. Niwat realises that water issues are transnational. So, to be able to solve anything effectively, all stakeholders need to be involved. That includes the communities and governments which are connected to the river.
Tulip Naksompop Blauw
