The various national power development plants (PDPs) do not yet adequately reflect the renewable future yet.
Category: Opinion
Collection of opinions relevant to the Mekong environment published in media outlets across the globe.
Dams, Data and Decisions
This ‘Dams Observatory’ tracks all hydropower dams that are larger than 15 megawatts installed capacity, and/or those with a reservoir area of 0.5km2 or larger.
Myanmar emerging as key component in China’s Belt Road Initiative
It now seems inevitable that Myanmar will grant the deep water port and SEZ development to China, despite community concerns.
From friends to strangers: The decline of the Irrawaddy dolphin
Today the Mekong’s dolphins face a new threat. The proposed Sambor Dam on the river’s mainstream in Cambodia.
Hearing ethnic voices on Myitsone
An inclusive & deliberative approach to addressing the Myitsone Dam dispute can showcase the govt’s commitment to genuine change.
Don’t touch the Mekong
The battle over the Mekong River has resumed, and it will end badly for one side. Despite continuous government efforts to delay, a decision will have to be made shortly.
The other side of the Mekong development debate
The term “blasting the rapids” used in navigation channel improvement documents and EIAs sounds extremely negative in comparison with the reality: Pham Tuan Phan, MRC
Downstream Downturn: How Hydropower in Laos May Choke Vietnam
the damage these dams will have on Vietnam is beginning to appear. As the country farthest down the watershed, Vietnam will be subject to these compounded harms. The country will suffer considerably under the proposed dams, losing as much as 27 percent of its GDP in the next 20 years as the Mekong Delta shrinks.
With a surge in the Mekong, China shows disdain
A massive release of reservoir water into the river on short notice is hardly the act of a good neighbour
Could lack of access to data be the biggest threat to Myanmar’s rivers?
It’s difficult to judge the impacts of deforestation, erosion, pollutants, or to confirm or refute claims of damage caused by development without starting from a solid data baseline.