The Mekong river: Damned if you do
The Mekong watershed nurtures extraordinary biodiversity, with new species of plants and animals discovered every year. It has also nurtured humans. Tens of millions of people—much of the population of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam—depend on the Mekong.
Planners think the Mekong has a gift to give: hydropower. China has 14 dams planned or under construction on its stretch of the Mekong in Yunnan province, joining six already built. Today the river is undammed below China, but that will soon change. Laos has nine dams planned or under way; Cambodia has two. Dozens more dams for tributaries are on the drawing board.
