This issue brief – the second in Stimson’s “Letters from the Mekong” series – examines the current status of mitigation efforts at Laos’ Xayaburi and Don Sahong dam projects and the relevance of the existing narrative surrounding hydropower development on the river’s mainstream. Based on extensive research on the status and expected impacts of these projects, the authors of this brief have concluded that the current narrative of inevitability surrounding the future of the Mekong is increasingly at odds with what is in fact a very fluid situation. Instead of being the first two of up to nine or eleven mainstream “dominos” to fall, these commercial-opportunity projects are likely to face significantly increasing political and financial risks and uncertainties.
Category: Article
How social can Chinese hydropower dams be?
How dam construction companies deal with the social and environmental impacts of their projects comes down to more than just their own policies, write Johan Nordensvard and Frauke Urban.
Thermal coal: “The serial killer”
The operation of Thermal Coal factories has serious impacts on the health of people living in Binh Thuan province, Vietnam. The emissions from thermal coal including toxic gases that caused diseases such as respiratory, and pneumonia.
Why a tree falls in Brazil when a dam is built in the Mekong
Not only does hydropower development along the Mekong impact on food security, it also pushes land-use changes in other parts of the world. This was shown by visiting researcher Jamie Pittock in a recent Water Dialogues seminar.
Why the Mekong River Commission May Be In Peril
The fallout from the Great Fall in financial markets, equities and currencies is ricocheting through the regional economy and beginning to exact a toll – initially among badly-run companies and poorly-managed government institutions.
Myanmar-Thailand road cuts through last wilderness
Across the open door of the immigration office, a black dog sleeps, his ears twitching. It is a slow day at the border, under the tropical afternoon sun.
Greedy developers often to blame for floods
Streets were turned into riv-ers in Ha Noi and HCM City in a matter of hours over the last few days in what have been described as historic rainfalls. Traffic was thrown into chaos as thousands of residents scrambled to get home in the driving rain that lasted for hours at a time.
Changing Tides for a Common Future: The MRC and Hydro-Diplomacy
The Mekong River Commission (MRC), the only intergovernmental body mandated to sustainably manage and protect the Lower Mekong River, is on the brink of demise. While transboundary water governance has faced significant challenges in the region since the MRC was established in 1995, the Commission’s first real test came more recently with the start of the regional debate over plans to build a cascade of eleven mainstream dams on the Lower Mekong River.
Election over Troubled Waters: Why Benefit Sharing over the Salween is Important for Myanmar
Minority groups, which make up 40 percent of Myanmar’s population and are represented by their own political parties, have not been under effective state control since Myanmar’s independence 67 years ago. Despite the ceasefire agreement, fighting between ethnic armed groups and the Myanmar Armed Forces has continued in several states. One of their grievances is the damming of the Salween river in their controlled territories. Proper accommodation of the interests of minority groups in this matter is crucial for ensuring that a peaceful post-election period and transition towards true democracy.
The Lower Sesan 2 Dam will soon flood several Cambodian Communities
Blog: The Lower Sesan 2 Dam will soon flood several Cambodian Communities; can it at least provide fair compensation?