The Third Pole

Sustaining the heartbeat of the Mekong Basin

The Mekong has another point of origin: the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Each year life springs from the lake, mostly in the form of a massive fish population that migrates to the far reaches of the Mekong system both upstream and downstream. This annual ...

Brian Eyler, Courtney Weatherby

It’s decision time for Southeast Asia as power demand soars

Southeast Asia’s energy demand is expected to grow by two-thirds by 2040, requiring massive investment in new energy generation and transmission. Installed capacity will double from 240 gigawatts to 565 gigawatts, which amounts to adding a bit more than Japan’s total electricity capacity. Keep reading ...

Disaster after disaster on the Mekong

From sea to source, the Mekong River stretches nearly 5,000 km through six countries. More than 60 million people depend on its waters for survival, and it is second only to the Amazon in its biodiversity. Photographers Gareth Bright and Luke Forsyth spent eighteen months travelling ...

Best of 2018: Disaster after disaster on the Mekong

From sea to source, the Mekong River stretches nearly 5,000 km through six countries. More than 60 million people depend on its waters for survival, and it is second only to the Amazon in its biodiversity. Photographers Gareth Bright and Luke Forsyth spent eighteen months travelling ...

What does Chinese ‘reciprocity’ mean for Mekong’s dams?

China is exploring new ways to cooperate over water with Mekong countries, but any agreement must address civil society and environmental concerns, argues Carl Middleton. Keep reading ...

Why the Mekong matters

China’s growing influence – through its new multilateral institution – is reshaping the environmental and economic future of Southeast Asia. The countries of the Mekong should build a “community of shared future”, said China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in December last year. Keep reading   ...

Moratorium on new Mekong dams in Laos provides window of opportunity

As Laos hits the pause button on its huge hydropower dam building spree, this is an opportunity to push for other forms of renewable energy – solar and wind – that Laos is well-placed to use, argues Brian Eyler. Keep reading ...

Transboundary EIAs could reduce conflict over river projects

In the Mekong river basin, massive infrastructure projects – dams, road, high-speed rail and ports – are under construction. While these projects will improve connectivity between countries, harmful environmental impacts need to be minimised. National level environmental impacts assessments that ignore cross border impacts are likely ...

Roping in China to deal with challenges of the Mekong

Although the Mekong is popularly seen as a South East Asian river, its headwaters are located in China, where it is known as the Lancang. From there it flows through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The future of the Mekong, though, will be heavily ...

Talking with the Chinese on the Brahmaputra

An Indian academic shares her experience of interacting with her Chinese peers on the transboundary Brahmaputra river, their mutual concerns, and learning to work together. []They also cited the case of the Mekong and mentioned the diverse interests of each country in the Mekong river basin. ...

Anamika Barua

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