Independent evaluations at multilateral development banks (MDBs) have called for a reform of the system of safeguards that they use to deflect potential damages to communities and the environment associated with the investments they finance. Without such mitigation, roads can harm habitats, dams displace communities and slum rebuilding hurt livelihoods.
Category: Region
Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.
Vietnam: Can Tho’s IZs attract $1.96b
Industrial zones (IZs) in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Can Tho have 220 projects in operation, with total registered investment capital of some US$1.96 billion.
Lao Authorities Pick New Company to Complete Road Upgrade Project
Government authorities in Laos have selected a new company to upgrade a major thoroughfare in the capital Vientiane, after the firm submitted an estimate that was lower than one quoted by a Chinese company believed to have ties to the country’s national leaders.
Q&A: River exploitation reaches alarming level
Over-exploitation of rivers has caused a great deal of damage. Dr. Dao Trong Tu, director of the Centre for Sustainable Water Resources and Climate Change, tells Ha Noi Moi (New Ha Noi) newspaper, in a Q&A.
Tak residents vow to fight relocation plans
Tak residents have refused to relocate after authorities declared state land in the province’s special economic zone (SEZ) must be taken back from encroachers to pave the way for new city planning projects.
Coal power projects to be delayed
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for 11 coal-fired power plants was signed between the Ministry of Electric Power (MOEP) and local and international private companies in 2010, and other new coal power projects are also in the planning stage.
In Laos’ economic zone, a casino and illicit trade beckon in ‘lawless playground’
Critics say the zone has instead become a mecca of gambling, prostitution and illicit trade, raising questions about the spillover effects of China’s growing economic clout beyond its borders.
Laos intends to set up two nuclear facilities with Rosatom assistance
power-technology.com Laos is in talks with Russian State atomic energy corporation Rosatom to set up nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the country. The Southeast Asian country, one of the global leaders for hydropower, intends to set up two nuclear power units of VVER-type, with a capacity of 1000MW-1200MW each. Laos is located at the centre […]
China’s financial power play: How a £530m dam in Cambodia symbolises the growing, sometimes ruthless, influence of Beijing across Asia
In lush, north-eastern Cambodia, the £530m Lower Sesan 2 Dam stands as a potent symbol of China’s growing reach, and Beijing’s ambitious plans to expand its influence throughout Asia by building some desperately needed infrastructure.
Dams, Climate Change Lead to Fish Decline in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap: Fishermen
The fish population in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap lake has declined significantly from a year ago, fishermen in the country’s Kampong Chhnang province said Friday, citing the construction of dams in the area and climate change, among other factors.