VN Express —
Under the new five-year strategic plan, it seeks to invest over $60 million, of which about 40 percent would come from member countries, according to a press release it issued Monday.
Its 10-year Basin Development Strategy (BDS) strategy will focus on five priority areas: improved ecological functions of the Mekong River for a healthy environment and productive communities, improved access to and use of water and related resources for community well-being, sustainable development for inclusive economic growth, resilience against climate and disaster risks, and enhanced regional cooperation from a whole-of-basin perspective.
The BDS is based on recent assessments of the impacts caused by water and related resources developments and infrastructure, including dams that have changed flow regimes, affecting sediment transport and accelerating bank erosion.
These have in turn led to a decline in natural fish populations, the degradation of environmental assets and floodplains, and the reduction in the replenishment of the Mekong Delta.