Environment and natural resources
Laos' govt to inspect all dam standards, shelve new hydro projects
The government has announced it will examine the safety standards applied to the construction of hydropower dams across the country following the deadly disaster caused by the collapse of a dam in Attapeu province. Keep reading ...
Vietnam’s Mekong quandary: settling the sediment issue
As the biggest loser, Vietnam has to use its influence to limit dam damage on Mekong Delta, says Mekong specialist Richard Cronin. []Already, upstream dams in China and on major Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) tributaries in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam have trapped a major share of ...
Mekong Delta province works to prevent coastal erosion
The Mekong Delta province of An Giang is devising measures to prevent coastal erosion, which has become more serious due to climate change and socio-economic activities. Director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Dang Duc said 36 coastal erosion have occurred in ...
China dismisses U.S. criticism over dams
Beijing dismissed criticism from the United States after a U.S. official claimed that China’s construction of dams on the upper Lancang (Mekong) River had a detrimental effect on lower Mekong countries. “Related comments by a U.S. official are groundless and they have ulterior motives,” Foreign ...
Mekong floods kill 6, force nearly 5,000 families in Cambodia to evacuate
Six Cambodians have died so far and nearly 5,000 families have evacuated to higher grounds after Mekong floods hit five provinces along the river, a disaster control spokesman said on August 6. Keo Vy, a spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said ...
How Taming the Mekong Could Give China Unprecedented Power
The deadly collapse of one of the dozen or so dams dotted along the Mekong River and its tributaries has highlighted the rapid development of a waterway that is increasingly important strategically for China and its neighbors. For hundreds of thousands of people living on ...
Mekong bursts its banks, flows into Pakxe
The water in the Mekong River is currently above the danger level in Champassak province and has flooded some parts of Pakxe, while in Khammuan province the river has almost reached the danger mark. But in Khammuan it is the Xebangfai River that has overflowed ...
Laos' Dam Disaster May Not Be Its Last
The Lao dam disaster in Attapeu province has cast a long, dark shadow of doubt about the safety standards and viability of dozens of other hydropower projects. This entirely preventable man-made catastrophe left 6,000 people homeless from floods and over 1,000 villagers unaccounted for. Keep reading ...
Myanmar endures worst of Mekong monsoon floods
Monsoon rains have pummelled the Mekong region in recent days with Myanmar bearing the brunt of flooding that has forced 150,000 to flee and threatens to destroy levees shielding thousands of homes. Keep reading ...
Laos gambles on becoming ‘battery of Southeast Asia’
The collapse of a hydroelectric dam in Laos last week has reinvigorated a debate on the potential consequences of the country’s fervent building of dams, leaving many to question if the rewards outweigh the risks. Keep reading ...
