Roger Choate | June, 2002

Every month www.cleanganga.com examines a damaged river where recovery may be underway. The mighty Mekong in Southeast Asia is buffeted by potential ecological disasters. But there are glimmers of hope.

	Mekong River: Mother of waters

The Mekong is literally the lifeline of Southeast Asia, with 60 million souls depending on the great waterway and her tributaries for food and water as well as commerce. Almost twice the length of the Ganga (Ganges), the Mekong runs 4,800 kilometres from its source on the Tibetan Plateau and then through Yunnan Province of China and into Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam.

Its annual flood-drought cycles are essential for the sustainable production of rice and vegetables on the floodplains and along the riverbanks during the dry season. Known as the mother of waters, the river supports one of the world's most diverse fisheries, second only to the Amazon.

Idyllic settings: A rice field in the Mekong basin

But this vital ecosystem and lifeblood of the region is currently under threat. Over the past ten years, more than 100 large dams have been proposed for the Mekong basin by institutions like the Asian Development Bank and the Mekong River Commission. Some of these projects have already been built.



One of the greatest threats is China's plans to construct eight dams on the Upper Mekong (or Lancang). Two of these dams have already been completed and construction on the third project, Xiaowan, began in January 2002. These dams will have widespread impacts on the livelihoods of Mekong communities and on the natural ecology of the river system.

In Laos, campaigners are working to stop World Bank support for the Nam Theun 2 Dam and ensure that communities receive just compensation for losses suffered due to the Asian Development Bank-funded Nam Theeun-Hinboun and Nam Leuk Dams. International Rivers Network (IRN) is also monitoring broader regional water resource developments, particularly those funded by the Asian Development Bank.

	Rasi Salai Dam, Thailand: Locals want to free the River

Campaigners in Thailand have been working with communities affected by the Pak Moon and Rasi Salai dams. They want the gates of both dams to be permanently opened and for the Mun River to be restored.

Campaigners such as the International Rivers Network are also monitoring the impacts of the Yali Falls Dam in Vietnam, which has affected communities in both Vietnam and Cambodia.

Even so, the Mekong is a survivor.

And, then, some good news
Back in 1957 the United Nations initiated the Mekong River Development Project to harness the river for hydroelectricity and irrigation.

But since then, much has been learned about the impact of dams. The international debate launched in the 80s has altered the thinking of what became the Mekong River Commission in 1995. It represents Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

A process is now in place to formulate comprehensive development scenarios that take into account a wide range of stakeholders, including peoples and communities directly affected. Community participation is not always a democratic process in parts of Asia, but a start has been made.

The Commission also utilises geographic information systems, remote sensing and decades of accumulated data to develop models of the river complex flow regime. These are the basic tools needed for the eventual formulation of Rules for Water Utilisation that members are committed to share.



Conflicting needs

	Mekong River: One of the world's most diverse fisheries.

Former UN Secretary General U. Thant once described the Mekong project as a "... struggle to build a modern civilisation on the foundations of our ancient cultural heritage and to blend western technology with our own traditional values." In fact, work has only now started on realising this vision, in the opinion of Delia Paul, senior executive with the Mekong River Commission.

She notes that developing water resources is one of the most complex and sensitive activities humans can attempt. "It is complex because the needs for water often are competing or conflicting."

"It is complex, like the Spider-Man, because water availability shows wide variations geographically and over time, which are ill-matched with demand."

"It is complex because a growing world population and a globalised economic system are putting enormous stress on a shrinking resource."

Ms. Paul goes on to say that "Water is seen by some as the foreign policy issue of the 21st Century. The nations of Southeast Asia who conceived and nurtured a Mekong Committee may yet prove to be the model for the world."


Written by Roger Choate of www.cleanganga.com with inputs from Delia Paul