Water Issues In the Mekong River Basin

Karlyn EckmanWater in the World SeminarOctober 16 2009

International rivers

How to equitably share and govern riparian resources?

Complex socioeconomic issues (rights of access to water resources, food security, cultural/linguistic diversity, etc.)

Strategic national security challenges Transboundary issues (pollution, navigation,

flood control, etc.)

How to deal with common resources and shared problems?

Treaties and conventions Inter-governmental agencies (MRCS; Nile

Basin Initiative) Joint powers agreements Bilateral agreements

The case of the Mekong…

Some facts about the Mekong…

21st largest river in the world Annual peak flows from monsoon rains (April-

September) Annual cycles of drought and flooding Not highly engineered Water quality is declining from upland erosion,

logging, agriculture and industry (increase in total suspended solids, conductivity, phosphorus and nitrates)

Lower Mekong River Basin

Biota of the Mekong…

Wet montane evergreen forests Tonle Sap and delta Vast mangrove forests along coastal areas Wetlands Freshwater swamp forests Very high species diversity of vertebrates

and invertebrates Decline in large fish species

Macroeconomic trends:

Rapid population growth and rural to urban migration Rapid urban growth Land conversion Loss of forests to logging and agriculture Rapid industrialization (Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand) Tourism (land grabbing for hotels) Loss of wetlands for industry and development (ADB, World Bank) Declining water quality from industrial development, increased

pesticide use and shipping Unsustainable land use and fishing practices

→ Chinese dam construction in the upper Mekong

People of the Lower Mekong Basin…

55 million people live in the LMB 70 ethnic and linguistic groups 40 % live below the poverty line Poor access to potable water, even in urban areas

(<40%) Poor access to sanitation (<25%) Very high rates of water-borne disease Decreasing access to common property resources

People of the Mekong…

History of wars and conflict (Khmer Rouge; US war in Vietnam; US bombing of Cambodia and Laos)

Legacy of displacement, resettlement, post-traumatic stress of local populations

Only Thailand was relatively unaffected by conflict

Food insecurity and vulnerability

Importance of subsistence agriculture, hunting and fishing

The majority of people rely on aquatic resources for their livelihoods

60-80% of daily nutritional requirements come from fish and rice

Fish and non-fish aquatic resources that can be caught or gathered are the main part of daily diets

High dependence on fish in rice fields (snakehead and walking perch)

Importance of rice production and fish farming in rice fields

Multiple products from a single field (rice, fish, frogs, insects, etc.)

Fish are the most important source of protein Rice paddy fish are both raised and wild-

caught Home-based fishing saves labor Bomb craters used as fish ponds

Importance of subsistence fishing

Studies show that it takes more time to catch enough fish to eat

Average catch is smaller Dams and reservoirs block migration of fish

for spawning Reduction in numbers of larger species

Importance of non-fish aquatic species as food…

Governance of the Mekong

Mekong River Commission Secretariat (Vientienne, Laos) - MRCS

Mekong River national committees (NMCs) Member countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR,

Thailand, Vietnam Observer countries: People’s Republic of

China and Myanmar (Burma)

MRCS programs

Flood management and mitigation (FM) - Cambodia Fisheries program Agriculture, Irrigation and Forestry Program Hydropower program Navigation program Capacity-building program Environment Program (EP)

– Data collection and monitoring – water quality– EIA– Wetland valuation– Remote sensing– Socioeconomic vulnerability assessment

Basin development plan (BDP)– Project support– Social Impact Assessment

Water utilization program (WUP)– Basin modeling– Procedures/agreements to govern water use

Summing up:Threats to Livelihoods in the LMB

Weak governance of riparian resources Construction of large dams Rapid economic and industrial growth Moderate pollution Climate change (estuary intrusion)

Possible outcomes?

Loss of biodiversity Loss of forest cover Loss of access to common property resources Increased public health risks More food insecurity and chronic malnutrition General decline in the condition of rural

populations

Summing up:Opportunities and priorities for the future in the LMB

Tremendous need for interdisciplinary research in the LMB (no common data sets)

New programs addressing biodiversity and conservation (IUCN, WWF, others)

New initiatives through the United Nations and bilateral donors (food security, poverty reduction, etc.)

International context

More interaction among researchers and organizations working on international river systems

Inter-agency learning through international conferences and workshops

IWMI, FAO, WWF, IUCN, World Commission on Dams and others are key change agents

Resources

http://internationalrivers.org www.fao.org www.iwmi.cgiar.org http://www.mrcmekong.org/ http://www.nilebasin.org/

Thank you