Stroll around any of Vietnam’s major universities, from Hanoi to the Mekong Delta, and ask a student, like Pham Oanh, what concerns her, and like so many other students with their smartphones in hand, her response will be the country’s environmental emergencies, ranging from air and water pollution to deforestation, loss of marine biodiversity, and waste treatment.
On 2 June, Save the Mekong Coalition (StM) has issued a statement to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and governments in the lower Mekong region, calling for the Sanakham and other planned Mekong mainstream dams to be canceled. The Mekong…
Today, December 10th 2019, People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) and 275 civil social organizations from around the world issued a statement calling for upon the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) to abandon the certification of destructive hydro-power projects as climate-friendly which negatively affect the environment and the community. Details or the statement is below:
To solve these issues, PanNature, which works on conserving Viet Nam’s natural resources, and other organizations in the Mekong work with journalists and civil society organizations to build networks and strengthen their communication capacities. “We want to be a media bridge between journalists, scientists, policy makers and policy analysts,” said Bich Ngoc. “We are supporting a core group of journalists who are interested in the topic of forest governance.”
Save the Mekong Coalition Calls for the Cancelation of the Luang Prabang Dam The Mekong is facing a crisis. Climate change and large-scale dams on the Mekong mainstream and tributaries are making Mekong’s flows and levels more unpredictable. From record lows in June and July to major flooding in parts of the basin in August and September, hydropower dams have exacerbated the impacts on the river and people. Large-scale dams, especially those planned for the Mekong mainstream, are a significant cause of – not the answer to – the Mekong crisis.
Trinh Le Nguyen, head of Vietnam's People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature), said at this point he expects all proposed dams to be built, regardless of their environmental effect. "It's like domino effect now," he said, noting that more than enough evidence of environmental damage has been presented. "I am afraid another consultation is just a waste of time for everyone, considering lessons from previous four," Nguyen said.
Development on the mainstream Mekong river and associated impacts is one of major topics that PanNature have followed for many years. The issue was raised again by PanNature and regional partners in the ASEAN People Forum 2018 (APF/ACSC 2018) in Singapore from 1st to 4th November 2018.
Save the Mekong, a coalition of non-government organizations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, announces our intention to boycott the Mekong River Commission’s Prior Consultation process for the proposed Pak Lay hydropower project in Laos. Pak Lay is the fourth dam on the lower Mekong mainstream.
Save the Mekong, a coalition of non-government organizations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, wish to express our shock and concern at the recent collapse of the Xe Pian - Xe Nam Noy hydropower project in Laos, and our deep condolences to communities affected by this tragedy, both in southern Laos and downstream in Cambodia.
On 13 June, the Government of Laos formally notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its intention to construct the Pak Lay dam on the mainstream of the Mekong River. The notification triggers the Prior Consultation procedure under the Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA) of the 1995 Mekong Agreement. Pak Lay is the fourth Mekong mainstream dam to be submitted for the procedure.