The Mekong river: Damned if you do

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UK Only Article: 
standard article

Issue: 

The right way to do drugs

Fly Title: 

The Mekong river

Rubric: 

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