FROM its headwaters more than three miles above sea level in Qinghai province, China, to its delta in Vietnam, the Mekong river runs more than 4,300 kilometres. It supports the world’s most productive inland fishery, and its watershed boasts stunning biodiversity. But Mekong countries—particularly China, Laos and Cambodia—treat the river not as the anchor for one of the world’s great ecosystems, but as their own private battery.China has built six hydroelectric dams on its stretch of the Mekong; Laos and Cambodia plan another 11, along with dozens more on its major tributaries. Though power demand in the booming Mekong region is soaring, these dams will not come close to satisfying it. Instead, they threaten regional fish stocks and farmland, and may leave millions of people poor, hungry and displaced. China and Laos will reap the benefits; Cambodia and Vietnam will bear most of the costs.READ MORE: “Requiem for a river”, our essay on the development of the Mekong.

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Wed, 2016-03-02
Source: Utilities
Daily chart: The proliferation of dams along the Mekong river

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standard article

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The right way to do drugs

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The Mekong river

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Governments should stop building dams on the mother of rivers

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20160213_LDP003_0.jpg

THE greatest of all South-East Asia’s waterways and the world’s 12th-longest river, the Mekong, is a natural wonder that ties together the destinies of half a dozen countries. Born from snowmelt at over 17,000 feet (5,200 metres), it bolts off the Tibetan plateau like a runaway horse; by the time it leaves China it is starting to slow and spread. When it reaches Cambodia, via Laos, it is tropical and ample and, with the monsoon rains, parts of it curiously change the direction of their flow. Farther down, it reaches the South China Sea through a filigree delta. The Mekong watershed nurtures extraordinary biodiversity, with new species of plants and animals discovered every year. It has also nurtured humans. Tens of millions of people—much of the population of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and …
Source: Utilities
The Mekong river: Damned if you do

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Difference engine

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Will this winter's Niño end California's prolonged drought?

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LOS ANGELES

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WHILE the Atlantic coast of America was preparing for last month’s massive snowstorm, California was enjoying a welcome, albeit temporary, reprieve from its four-year drought. The prolonged downpour—a harbinger of the imminent El Niño storms—raised pool levels in Los Angeles by almost three inches, providing your correspondent with an extra 500 gallons of water free of the city’s Tier 1 tariff. Lawns, parks and hillsides that had been left to go brown during the drought (state-wide emergency measures have required cities to cut water usage by 25%) have turned green again. The one dismay has been seeing millions of gallons of precious rainwater pour down hillside gutters and storm drains, as it flowed unhindered into Santa Monica Bay.Vacations spent as a youngster in …
Source: Utilities
Difference engine: The great wet hope