Hydropower dams, water diversion threaten Mekong Delta’s water security
Scientists have once again raised their concerns about water security in the Mekong Delta, saying that hydropower dams on the Mekong River’s upper course as well as Thailand, Laos and Cambodia’s plans to divert the river are the biggest threats. Le Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Can Tho University’s Research Institute for Climate Change, said the Mekong Delta is facing six challenges: climate change; population increase and migration; natural resources overexploitation; environmental degradation; hydropower dams; and Mekong diversion plans implemented by Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Of the challenges, Vietnam can adapt to climate change, prevent population increase and migration, stop natural resource overexploitation and use the land in a more effective way. But it cannot adapt to or control hydropower dams and diversion projects. The building of hydropower dams on the Mekong River from China to Laos not only forces thousands of people to relocate their houses, it changes the current in the lower course and causes loss of millions of tons of alluvium in the Delta.
