Southeast Asia

Map: A Dam Rush on the Mekong?

Friday, June 1, 2007
The Mekong River Basin's diversity and productivity is threatened by plans for scores of dams. This map looks at what's in store and what's at stake for one of the world's great rivers. (from World Rivers Review, June 2007)

Building Friendships, Building Dams

Thai villagers protest at Chinese Embassy in Bangkok to demand a halt in blasting rapids on the Mekong for a navigation project
Monday, September 17, 2007
From September 2007 World Rivers Review China’s Charm Offensive in Southeast Asia Bodes Ill for Mekong Basin RiversKampot province in Southern Cambodia is a sleepy coastal region most renowned for its fresh pepper, salt production, and durian fruit. The Kamchay River weaves its way across the land, from the highlands of Bokor National Park southward through a fertile valley of durian orchards and rice fields before arriving in the provincial capital, Kampot Town, where the steep-sided plateau of the national park dominates the skyline. Rich in natural wealth, the national park is also a

Mekong Leaders to Sign Risky Power Trade Agreement

Friday, July 1, 2005
Leaders of Mekong countries are planning to sign a key Memorandum of Understanding at the Second Greater Mekong Sub–region1 (GMS) Summit in Kunming, China on July 4–5, 2005. The MOU helps to establish an implementation framework that facilitates the development of a power grid and trading system which poses a serious threat to the economies, environment and local communities. A recent analysis shows that the multi–billion dollar scheme provides no guarantee of cost savings for consumers. A flagship initiative of the Asian Development Bank’s GMS program, the Mekong power

World Rivers Review – Focus on the Mekong – June 2007

Overview: The Mekong: Diverse, Magnificent, Threatened The Mekong River is a changing kaleidoscope of cultures,geography and plant and animal life. For most of its journey: a fast-flowing, meandering waterway that forms the heart and soul of mainland Southeast Asia. The river boasts one of the world’s most diverse and productive inland fisheries, supplying the people of the region with about 80% of their protein needs. Yet this beautiful, dynamic and thriving river system is under threat. While the people living along the banks of the river see the Mekong as a resource to be nourished and s

Rivers for Life 2

Thursday, October 4, 2007
In November 2003, more than 300 people from 62 countries gathered in Rasi Salai, Thailand, for Rivers for Life: The Second International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and their Allies. For five days grassroots activists, dam-affected people and representatives from NGOs exchanged experiences and developed new strategies to fight destructuve large dams. This is their story. Rivers for Life - Part 1 Rivers for Life - Part 2

A farmer’s son tries to save the Mekong Delta

Monday, September 24, 2007
CAN THO, Vietnam - Nguyen Huu Chiem was born in Can Tho province, the eldest of ten children and the seventh generation of a Mekong Delta farming family. "I have lived here for so long ... that I understand the delta's ecology," he said over a pot of tea near Can Tho City one balmy evening. "I remember there were many fish in the water and many birds in the air. The delta has always had great biodiversity." Chiem, whose father was a rice farmer, decided to devote his life to studying ecology and the environment, because "I see [my father] work very hard at rice far

Laos

The Hinboun river, Laos
Laos is a place of remarkable beauty, world-renowned biodiversity and abundant natural resources. The country is traversed by a thousand rivers that teem with life. This vast Lao river network also plays an essential role in the Mekong Basin, contributing 35 percent of the Mekong River's flow. But these rivers that are the lifeline of rural communities and local economies are being blocked, diverted and decimated by dams. The Lao government hopes to transform the country into “the battery of Southeast Asia” by exporting the power to Thailand and Vietnam. Unfortunately for the Laotian peop

Charting the Mekong's Changes

Thursday, August 30, 2007
Article was reported in TIME Magazine http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1657580,00.html The nets yield almost no fish today, the same as yesterday and the day before that. For generations, Bun Neang's family has depended on the bounty of Cambodia's Tonle Sap, a vast lake fed by one of the world's greatest rivers, the Mekong. Two decades ago, his father could rely on a daily catch totaling about 65 lbs. (30 kg). When the water gods were feeling particularly charitable, he would land a Mekong catfish, a massive bottom-feeder that can weigh as much as a tiger. But today

Development Disasters: Japanese-Funded Dam Projects in Asia

Saturday, March 1, 2003
Published by International Rivers, Rivers Watch East and Southeast Asia and Friends of the Earth Japan. Features case studies of six Japanese-funded dam projects at various stages of implementation. 

Do No Harm: Avoiding Resettlement Failure at Vietnam's Son La Hydropower Project

Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Vietnam’s ambitious Son La Hydropower Project could face serious problems if the government’s plan to resettle 100,000 mostly ethnic people is not carried out in a just and fair manner. So far more than 1,000 families have been moved away from the Da River to make way for the $2.3 billion dam. A host of problems have already emerged, according to a new study released by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) in association with International Rivers. The VUSTA report -- "A Work in Progress: Study on the Impacts of Vietnam’s Son La Hydropower Project"

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