Scott Moore, a senior fellow at The Water Center at Penn, said to watch for rising tensions over water use in the basin, which is already beset by sand mining, saltwater encroachment, land subsidence, and a dam-building spree in countries besides China.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Blue Mekong in northeastern region of Thailand is bad omen
Local fishery officials said the water turned blue because it was stagnant, resulting from dam construction in a neighboring country. Without a solution, fish in the Mekong River would be extinct, plankton and dissolved oxygen would decline and its ecosystem would be ruined.
Dams upstream slowly killing the mighty Mekong
Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) on Tuesday released satellite images showing a drastic drop in the water level of Mekong River this Sunday compared to images captured on January 3.
India Dam Disaster Highlights Pressure On Asia’s Rivers
Beijing’s dam-building has faced criticism outside the country particularly on the Mekong River, which begins on the Tibetan Plateau in China and winds through Southeast Asia.
Change is in the air
“In 2017and 2018, I conducted research on PM2.5 sources in Phuket and Bangkok and found 44% came from exhaust emission and 24% biomass burning. Therefore, we should give priority to the exhaust emission control and wildfires to tackle the air pollution problem,” said Dr Siwatt Pongpiachan.
20 year land dispute finally settled with PM intervention
“…most land disputes in Cambodia are caused by powerful or influential people or land traders who encroach on people’s land because they are poor and have no ability to fight for their right to the land.”
Myanmar’s troubled forestry sector seeks global endorsement after coup
Junta generals in Myanmar say timber exports are “trading legally and officially,” despite the armed takeover —Environmental Investigation Agency refuted the notion that Myanmar is abiding by EU Timber Regulations and certification standards.
A solution to plastic pollution: circular economy
Thailand-based Indorama Ventures, the biggest global producer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has committed to quadruple its PET recycling capacity and eliminate 750,000 tonnes of plastic annually from landfills and open dumps that pollute rivers and oceans.
Cambodia releases activists detained over illegal logging protest
The five, including Ouch Leng, a 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize winner, were detained by rangers on Friday for being inside the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary without permission, Environment Ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra said.
China to build the world’s biggest dam on sacred Tibetan river
Zamlha believes Tibet’s resources such as the Yarlung Tsangpo and Mekong rivers were a key factor in the CCP’s decision to take control of Tibet more than 70 years ago.