Locals fear water conflict as new industrial boom arrives along Thailand’s eastern seaboard

“Even before the EEC, there was a troublesome lack of water in the eastern seaboard area,” said Somnuck Jongmeewasin, a conservationist and research director at EEC Watch. “In my local community, there’s a lack of water. If we want water, we have to buy and it’s very expensive. The industrial sector can get the water because they have money. This is the inequality.”

Summit on future of Mekong to be held

Thailand will later this year host the 28th meeting of the council of the Mekong River Commission. At a meeting this week Thai officials discussed progress on the process of prior consultation in the Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement off the Sanakham hydropower project, proposed on the Mekong mainstream between Xayaburi and Vientiane provinces of neighbouring Laos.