The official six-month prior consultation process that began on 9 September 2019 for the proposed US$2 billion Sanakham Dam on the Mekong River will now aim to cease on 19 January 2022.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Landmark MRC-China’s joint study approved for implementation, new indicative ending date for Sanakham dam set
The joint study is due to be formally launched in December 2021 and will run until 2024. It consists of two phases, the first of which will take place during 2022 and is anticipated to yield immediate recommendations for actions. The second phase occurring in 2023–2024 will be implemented in coordination with the MRC’s Strategic Plan 2021–2025.
Siamese crocodile hatchlings find raises hope for conservation
Cambodia is a global stronghold for the species, with an estimate of 200 to 400 individuals remaining in the wild. The total global population does not exceed 1,000 mature individuals.
By land or sea: Thailand perseveres with the Kra Canal
The fabled Thai waterway meant to bypass the Strait of Malacca has been mooted for centuries. Could its time have come? Whatever China’s interest may amount to has already – if reports are to be believed – drawn countervailing attention from the United States, as well as Australia and India.
World Bank initiative to raise $54 million to help develop eco-tourism
The Cambodia Sustainable Landscape and Eco-tourism Project will be the World Bank’s largest tourism investment in Cambodia. It will take five years to carry out and will involve seven provinces including the Cardamom Mountains, Southeast Asia’s largest intact rainforest, the Tonle Sap Lake’s flooded forests and Phnom Kulen in Siem Reap.
Thai oil major PTT launches $16bn push into EVs and green energy
The centerpiece of the government controlled PTT’s green drive is the development of Thailand’s EV supply chain. The government plans to have 30 percent of vehicles produced domestically be zero emissions by 2030.
Wildlife traffickers creeping back as pandemic restrictions ease – U.N. report
Through interviews with wildlife traders and traffickers in difficult-to-police regions in countries along the Mekong River – like Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and China – the UNODC found evidence of wildlife products being stockpiled until prices and demand recover.
Climate change spurs typhus incidence in Laos
“the evidence from this research suggests that we will see an increase of both these diseases not only in Laos but in other countries
as well. The diseases may also spread to areas where they have not previously been found as temperatures rise.”
Water projects need scrutiny
Without an approved EIA a project cannot move ahead; so developers are accused of hiring “friendly” environmental firms and environmental experts to conduct a study and public hearing that give favourable outcomes that support the project. Such accusations surfaced recently in the case of the Yuam River Water Diversion scheme.