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.
