Nguyen Minh Quang, Nguyen Phuong Nguyen, Le Minh Hieu, and James Borton
This year marked another record-setting dry season for the Mekong basin. Mekong Environment Forum, an NGO based in Can Tho City, has assisted the Mekong Dam Monitor project team in translating weekly updates on the operation of hydropower dams observed in the upstream Mekong over the last few years. We synthesized the updates in the first half of 2024 to map and provide insights into the updated impacts of dam operations on the downstream hydro- and eco-systems.
The evidence supports our understanding on the likelihood of a double water crisis when upstream dams’ operations intersect with downstream climate change effects. These findings reaffirm recent experts and public concerns over the transboundary impacts of overinvestment in damming the Mekong.
We call for cross-border collaboration and coordination to promote responsible, transparent, and sustainable use of the shared water resources in the Mekong basin. As a downstream victim, the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, like many Cambodian riverine communities and wetlands, stands to be most in danger in the time of accelerating climate change and hydropower impacts.
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