videos.engagemedia.org/.../mekong_watch_that_river-wmv.webm

Mekong: Watch That River!

This is the Mekong

One of Asia's major rivers

and the 12th longest in the world

It nurtures a great deal of life in its waters

and in the wetlands, forests, towns, and villages along its path

The Mekong's long journey begins in the Tibetan highlands

It flows through China's Yunan province

and then across Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia

before entering the sea from Southern Vietnam

It's a journey of nearly 5,000 kilometers

or some 3,000 miles

The Mekong river basin is the land surrounding all the streams

and rivers that flow into it

This covers a vast area, roughly the size of France and Germany combined

On its long journey, across 6 countries,

the Mekong provides a lifeline, to over 65 million people

They share Mekong waters for drinking,

farming, fishing, and industry

Along the way, the river also generates electricity

for Southeast Asia's emerging economies

The Mekong has sustained life for thousands of years

But growing human demands

are slowly building up environmental pressures on the river

A new study, commissioned by the UN Environment Programme

cautions that climate change could add to this in the coming years

The climate change would affect, in fact,

the effect will come in the amount of rainfall which is received

So under climate changing conditions we expect

less rainfall to be observed

And that would bring less flows in the river

which would affect the water usage in the downstream area

Dr. Muken Barbel, is a researcher at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok

He led a team of experts who studied what makes the Mekong waters vulnerable

The study probed how climate change

can impact the river from the highlands to the delta,

affecting the survival and prosperity of millions

At the same time, the sea level rise,

which is an associated impact of climate change

would bring more seawater into the river systems

and groundwater systems

in the delta in Vietnam

Saltwater could go upstream

by 60 to 70 kilometers,

degrading the land and water in the Mekong delta

This would add to pressures already coming from growing human numbers,

expanding economies,

and disappearing forests

Farmers would be among the most affected by these changes

Today, most of the Mekong's waters are used for irrigated agriculture,

especially for growing rice

But the demands from cities and industries are rising

If you look at the majority of water used, it's in the agricultural sector

And also, in the future when economic growth

which is taking place in Southeast Asia

will put tremendous pressure on the water resources

and for that, we will need to be careful from now

Some farmers realize they will soon have to manage with less water

Man Pipakman, is a rice farmer,

living in Chonburi, in Northeastern Thailand

Farmers here use water from the upper Mun river,

a tributary of the Mekong

They get their water from a local reservoir

But soon, it will also supply water to the nearby city of Korat

If they take water to the town, how can we get enough for rice fields?

There's already not enough water

This can spell trouble for her rice fields

If the crop fails, my family will starve

We'll have to borrow money to buy food

Environmental changes are already affecting freshwater fishing on the Mekong

The study identifies the Ton Le Sap lake in Cambodia

as an ecological hotspot

Linked to the Mekong river, the lake is a very important wetland

The Ton Le Sap lake is in Cambodia

and is one of the very important ecosystems

It supports the livelihood of a large number of people who are dependent on

for their livelihood through fish production

People here know how their lives and jobs

are linked to the ebb and flow of natures cycles

Now these patterns are being disrupted

by reduced rainfall and river flow

This is partly the result of dam building upstream

The Mekong countries have to carefully manage the upstream-downstream tensions

They also have to balance competing demands for water

For example, from cities and villages

And among the different sectors

such as farming, households, and industry

Then there are other challenges

2 out of every 5 people in the basin

don't have safe drinking water or proper toilets

They are just too poor to afford these basic amenities

To improve their living standards, countries need to invest more in rural areas

The study recommends Mekong river countries to improve

how they manage their water and land

This needs better policies, institutions, and systems

Countries sharing the Mekong river

or same rivers

they have to act together

and they have to develop the policies on how to conserve

and how to conserve the Mekong river

and also how to properly manage the Mekong river

The study found the Mekong river basin

moderately vulnerable to environmental changes

There aren't any major water shortages in this river basin as yet

For now, the Mekong is holding up, despite many pressures

But all this can change if less water is flowing down the river

and the demand for water keeps growing

That's why the Mekong countries need to watch this river,

their main lifeline