Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy: The search for accountability one year after the Laos dam collapse
A growing body of evidence suggests that the dam’s lead developers and builders may have caused the dam collapse through flaws in project design and efforts to cut costs in its construction.
Enhancing Environment and Resources Management in Cambodia
Ministry of Environment has disseminated a booklet on a draft environment and natural resource code, and that discusses the Cambodian environmental legal network.
MRC and China renew pact on water data provision and other cooperation initiatives
The pact was reached this week as China and the MRC agreed to renew their agreement on the provision of hydrological information during the flood season. The MRC Secretariat CEO Dr. An Pich Hatda and the Consul (Director-General level) of China’s Ministry of Water Resources Dr. Yu Xingjun signed the agreement in China’s capital city Beijing on 17 July in attendance of officials from both sides, as part of the CEO’s two-day official visit to Beijing. The CEO also met with senior officials from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Civic groups call for reviews into Mekong River dam projects
China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia must find a solution to contain ecological damage already caused by 11 operational dams and another 11 to be built on the lower Mekong.
Mekong river in Nakhon Phanom ‘lowest in almost 100 years’
The water levels in all the Mekong river’s tributaries including Nam Oun, Nam Songkhram and Nam Kam are also very low.
Mekong River drops to lowest level in a century around Thai, Lao, Myanmar border
Recent satellite images show a drastic lowering of the water level in the river exposing many islets and sandbars adding as it passes through the ‘Golden Triangle’.
Over 10,000 tons of illegal timber seized in four months
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation seized over 10,000 tons of illegal timber during four months of this fiscal year, with Sagaing Region topping the list with over 3,100 tons.