Environment and natural resources
Leaked WWF report: illegal logging in Laos 'a worst-case scenario'
Forests in Laos are disappearing at a ferocious rate under the impact of rampant illegal logging which accounts for 90% or more of the industry, with lucrative export markets in Vietnam and China. Keep reading ...
YCDC searches for more water as households run dry
Only 60 percent of Yangon’s water needs are being met, officials say. The Yangon City Development Committee is hunting for fresh sources, even as work proceeds to fix leaky pipes that lose half the water they are supposed to carry. The search for water security is part ...
Water crisis looms as short monsoon, El Nino hit southern reservoir
A large reservoir that supplies water for Ho Chi Minh City and nearby provinces has seen its water level falling rapidly, signalling a possible severe shortage for the whole region, experts said. “Low rainfall as an impact of El Nino has significantly lowered the water level ...
Plant maintenance to put Ho Chi Minh City out of water this weekend
Ho Chi Minh City utility Saigon Water Corporation has announced a suspension of supply to 15 districts as a major plant undergoes maintenance. Keep reading ...
Carbon credit schemes, concessions slashed
The Ministry of Environment has cancelled seven carbon credit schemes and reduced the leases of six economic land concessions as part of an ongoing reform effort, according to a 16 October announcement. Keep reading ...
NGOs push for postponement of Don Sahong dam on Mekong
The lower three Mekong Countries, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam as well as environmental groups, have expressed concern about the Don Sahong dam’s impact on the environment, movement of fish and water quality and flow. The project has yet to be approved by the Mekong River Commission, ...
Lao officials to inform neighboring countries about dam construction schedule
A delegation of Lao officials will visit two neighboring countries to inform them about the commencement of construction work on a controversial 260-megawatt hydropower dam on the Mekong River, a Lao official with knowledge of the issue said on 14 October. Three lower Mekong countries – ...
Vietnam tightens control over projects that need massive forest clearance
Vietnam will stop granting licenses to public and commercial projects that take over forest land but do not have a feasible plan to plant new trees, an official said. Keep reading ...
Surge in Red River hurts Vietnamese crops
After hydrologists warned last week that huge discharges of water from Chinese reservoirs upstream would flood the Hong (Red River) in the north, water levels have risen sharply, damaging ships and destroying crops. The Nong Thon Ngay Nay (Countryside Today) newspaper reported that the water discharge ...
Thai Forest Department department reclaims land for Hmong
Authorities have agreed to draft a master plan for zoning the Phuttubberk forest in Phetchabun’s Lom Kao district to allow hill tribe minorities to live and work there. The plan is also designed to keep resort business operators away. Keep reading ...
