Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
THE MEKONG RIVER Commission (MRC) does not have the authority to stop projects even if they have transboundary effects, delegates to the fourth Green Mekong Forum said on Monday, while the Thai Irrigation Department presented a water diversion project to fight poverty.
Around 100 delegates from Mekong River countries and international observers attended the forum in Bangkok to follow the latest developments in infrastructure and water resource management in the Mekong River Region.
Lam Sun Due to high cost and American and European anti-dumping tariff, the business of China solar panel manufacturers was gloomy in past 2 years. During this depression, the renewable energy markets in newly emerging Asian countries became the substitute of China manufacturers. Thai Rayong Industrial Park, 140 kilometers from Bangkok, Thailand, has become the […]
A nearly 900 kilometers railway project, China and Thailand has negotiated for ten years. On the occasion of Trans-Asian Railway makes its first appearance of the early harvest, Ta Kung Pao reporters explore and look for opportunities and risks along the railway line. This railway connecting the border of Laos and Bangkok, towards Mada Pu Industrial Park, will be linked with China-Lao railway and reaches KungMing, YunNan province in the end, which draws a giant circulation map which connects China with Laos and Thailand.
Another civil society group has joined the mounting campaign against dams planned along the Thanlwin River, also known as the Salween, ahead of an upcoming energy meeting between Thailand and Myanmar.
Dam Chan handed over the food in exchange for riel as she described hearing the loud bangs of dynamite in the distance.
The 55-year-old has farmed and sold food in Preah Rumkel commune her entire life and is concerned about the future of her home now that construction on the nearby Don Sahong Hydropower Dam has started to affect the local wildlife, and subsequently the lives of those residing near the Lao border.
Kaeng Khut Khu is a village in Loei province, Thailand. This village is located along the Mekong river and fishing is the main income of local people. But in recent years, it’s very difficult for local people go to fishing as the water levels go up and down constantly. Besides, the fish are very small now. There aren’t as many big fish as in the past.
In addition it is known that this village is also attractive for camping along the Mekong River. But now no tourists want to go there for camping as the water levels of the river could increase suddenly and cause flooding and impacts to tourism development. So now the local people of this village cannot get income from fishing and tourism. They have to find another job such as worker or seller.
Attending the event were Richard Cronin, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Stimson Center; Aaron Salzberg, Special Coordinator for Water Resources at the Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science Affairs at the Department of State; Todd Johnson, Forestry and Climate Change Advisor for USAID Asia’s Office of Technical Services; and Brian Eyler, Deputy Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Stimson Center.
Panelists pointed out the main reasons for the most serious drought and saline intrusion in the past 100 years in the Mekong Delta.
THE ECOLOGY of the Mekong River could be destroyed within 10 years if dam projects along the river are allowed to continue, Thai and Cambodian non-government organisations have warned.
They have also warned that it will be very difficult for people to claim compensation for projects’ negative impacts on the environment and their livelihoods because it will be not difficult if not impossible to clearly link the effects to a particular dam.
Ban Klang is a 400-year old village in Chiang Khan district, Loei province, Thailand. The village, home to more than 1,000 residents, is located next to Loei’s river mouth, connecting the tributary to mainstream of the Mekong River. The village is famous as a peaceful destination for tourists.
However, upon entering Ban Klang in recent times, visitors are surprised to notice banners hanging in-front of residents’ houses throughout the town, declaring “No Si Song Rak water gate here” and “Ban Klang residents do not need Si Song Rak water gate.” These are just examples of the rising water conflict in the Mekong region.
Solar energy is a clean and available energy source. If this renewable energy source is used effectively, then the deforestation from hydropower construction will not happen anymore. Vietnam and Cambodia are two countries in South East Asia that have advantages in solar energy sources.
