The Mekong ("mother Kong") river rises in Yunnan province of southwestern China and flows through or along the borders also of Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the only river in the world to have two capital cities on its banks - Vientiane in Laos and Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Saigon - or Ho Chi Minh City - the one-time capital of South Vietnam, is also located close to the Mekong delta region.
The Mekong is one of the world's twelve longest rivers and its basin provides sustenance, energy and support for as many as 160 million people. Perhaps 1500 species of creatures reside within its depths, including the unique giant catfish and the now vanishingly rare Mekong dolphin. Without the Mekong, dozens of local, small-scale cultures would have failed to develop or else would be significantly different from their current shape and structure.
The ways of life of people living close to the Mekong and relying on it are now increasingly coming under threat as a result of decisions made unilaterally by upstream authorities - notably those in China. As part of its long-term and large-scale plans for economic development, Chinese officials recently announced that China will increase its dependence on renewable energy sources from around 5% to 15%. Hydropower is a from of renewable energy and it is clear from already existing plans and the commercial activities of Chinese energy industry companies that a substantial part of this increase will be accounted for by building dams in and around Yunnan Province. These include several projects lined up for the Mekong River. The massive relocations of people required to create the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River demonstrate the resoluteness with which Chinese officials are likely to complete these projects.
Creating dams changes the flows of water further downstream and this has numerous impacts on the lives of people living in those regions. Many of these impacts are not yet fully understood because research is only just starting to be conducted. It is certainly the case that dams block the movements of migrating fish and thereby have a negative impact on their breeding patterns. However, the effects of trapping upstream the sediment on which downstream creatures rely, for example, are only just now starting to become known.
Attempts to regulate and manage the Mekong River have been an important part of the governance of South East Asia since the creation of the Mekong Committee in 1957. Subsequently, a variety fo multilateral efforts to ensure water security and economic and social co-operation in the region have been bedeviled by the contrasting natures of the forms of government prevalent in each state and a general lack of transparency and will in making political decisions. Today, the sheer number of multilateral organizations and the differing aims and objectives of the state and non-state actors involved in each one seem to provide a hindrance as much a a stimulus in facilitating genuine co-operation.
The Mekong is one of the world's twelve longest rivers and its basin provides sustenance, energy and support for as many as 160 million people. Perhaps 1500 species of creatures reside within its depths, including the unique giant catfish and the now vanishingly rare Mekong dolphin. Without the Mekong, dozens of local, small-scale cultures would have failed to develop or else would be significantly different from their current shape and structure.
The ways of life of people living close to the Mekong and relying on it are now increasingly coming under threat as a result of decisions made unilaterally by upstream authorities - notably those in China. As part of its long-term and large-scale plans for economic development, Chinese officials recently announced that China will increase its dependence on renewable energy sources from around 5% to 15%. Hydropower is a from of renewable energy and it is clear from already existing plans and the commercial activities of Chinese energy industry companies that a substantial part of this increase will be accounted for by building dams in and around Yunnan Province. These include several projects lined up for the Mekong River. The massive relocations of people required to create the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River demonstrate the resoluteness with which Chinese officials are likely to complete these projects.
Creating dams changes the flows of water further downstream and this has numerous impacts on the lives of people living in those regions. Many of these impacts are not yet fully understood because research is only just starting to be conducted. It is certainly the case that dams block the movements of migrating fish and thereby have a negative impact on their breeding patterns. However, the effects of trapping upstream the sediment on which downstream creatures rely, for example, are only just now starting to become known.
Attempts to regulate and manage the Mekong River have been an important part of the governance of South East Asia since the creation of the Mekong Committee in 1957. Subsequently, a variety fo multilateral efforts to ensure water security and economic and social co-operation in the region have been bedeviled by the contrasting natures of the forms of government prevalent in each state and a general lack of transparency and will in making political decisions. Today, the sheer number of multilateral organizations and the differing aims and objectives of the state and non-state actors involved in each one seem to provide a hindrance as much a a stimulus in facilitating genuine co-operation.
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