Energy
Death toll rises to 9 after dam collapse in Laos, 122 remain missing
Nine people were confirmed dead while 122 others were still missing after a dam collapsed, triggering flash flood in southern Laos on Monday, a provincial official said on Sunday. []However, if they subtracted the number of rescued villagers from the total population of these affected villages, ...
More aid from Vietnam reaches survivors of Lao dam collapse
The National Committee for Disaster Response and Search and Rescue has asked the Ministry of National Defence to join disaster relief efforts for victims in the collapse of the Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam in Laos following the instruction of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Keep reading ...
Commentary: The Laos dam collapse, and the hidden costs of the Mekong's hydroelectric plans
Beyond concern for the undoubted human costs of the collapse of a dam in Laos, this event once again focuses attention on the long-term effect of the massive expansion of hydropower in the Mekong Basin. Keep reading ...
Lao's controversial hydro ambitions
Mountainous and landlocked Lao PDR, known as the “Battery of Asia”, is building dozens of dams at breakneck speed so it can sell energy to power-hungry neighbours as a fast track out of poverty. But the communist country’s ambitious power plans are highly controversial. Keep reading ...
Cambodia to evacuate 25,000 people downstream of collapsed Laos dam
An estimated 25,000 people are being evacuated from a northern Cambodian province following extensive flooding due to the collapse of a massive hydropower dam in neighboring Laos. Authorities in Stung Treng province are attempting to evacuate towns and villages downstream from the dam, which has ...
Laos vows action after dam failure with 131 still missing
Lao authorities ordered closer monitoring of hydroelectric facilities as they investigate why a dam in the country’s southeast collapsed earlier this week, killing at least 27 people and leaving 131 missing. Floodwaters that rose to rooftops were slowly receding Thursday as villages began digging out ...
Flood alert as Mekong water rises
Residents in Nakhon Phanom were on Thursday warned to brace for possible flooding after the water level in the Mekong River rose to 11 metres, two metres away from overflow, due to downpours caused by tropical storm Son-Tinh. Keep reading ...
Vietnam offers aid to victims of dam collapse in Laos
Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung on July 26 handed over 200,000 USD in aid relief from the Vietnamese Government to Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Thongsavanh Phomvihane in order to help the country in the aftermath of the collapse of the Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam. Keep reading ...
How a Frenzied Race to Harness the Mekong Turned Deadly
Stretching from its headwaters in the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau to its endpoint in the delta marshes of Vietnam, the mighty Mekong River is one of the world’s great ecosystems. For Laos, it represents so much more: the energy source behind an ambitious hydro-power buildout and ...
Lao dam collapse will not affect Mekong Delta: expert
The Xe Pian – Xe Namnoy hydropower dam in southern Laos, which collapsed on the night of July 23, will not affect Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, according to Associate Professor Le Anh Tuan, head of the Climate Change Research Institute under the Can Tho University. Keep ...