Tonle Sap goes shallow in Siem Reap fishing district

The Phnom Penh Post — The waters of the Tonle Sap River have dried up in the fishing and tourist area in Kampong Phluk commune’s Kampong Phluk village in Siem Reap province’s Prasat Bakong district, affecting the livelihoods of over 700 families who depend on fishing and tourism. Kampong Phluk commune chief Sok Blong told The Post on May 18 that the absence of water had affected the Read More…

France aids Mekong River monitoring program

VN Express — The program is to better serve river monitoring and management of water infrastructure project operations along the mainstream and key tributaries of the Mekong. The Mekong River, which flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, is the lifeblood of millions of people who depend on the river for their livelihoods. But as development accelerates and Read More…

The missing variable: How climate change is affecting Cambodian fish…

CTV News — Sometimes scientists come up empty. The phenomenon they thought they'd find simply doesn't seem to exist. That's what one team of researchers thought had happened to them when they tried to investigate how fish harvesters in Cambodia were dealing with climate change. The fishers reported that even though the weather was warmer, their annual fish hauls were not any different Read More…

Envoys refute China’s water hegemony on Mekong River with in-person…

Global Times — In Southwest China's Yunnan Province, the reservoir of Jinghong Hydropower Station sparkled with green waves merging with the blue sky of late April when diplomats from the Mekong countries paid a visit. This gave them a complete new perception of the role of the Chinese-built dams on the Lancang River, upstream of the Mekong River that links six riparian countries.The Read More…

Cambodian farmers can no longer rely on the Tonle Sap lake

The Third Pole — “I’ve seen lower yields on my farm each year since maybe 2017 or 2018 – there just isn’t enough water,” says Yoeum Yoeut. Yoeut, 52, is a lifelong resident of the Baran district in Cambodia’s northwest Battambang province. Her livelihood has always depended on the natural flooding of Tonle Sap lake and its tributaries, but climate change, extreme weather and Read More…

Cambodia forecast for heavy rains, floods

The Phnom Penh Post — This year’s rainy season could see some provinces in the Mekong River Basin catchment area and the central lowlands along the rivers vulnerable to floods, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology’s first annual Mekong River flood forecast. The forecast was announced earlier this week after a group of meteorologists and hydrologists determined Read More…

Mekong unseasonal water levels endanger nesting birds in Thailand

The Haiger — According to data from the Stimson Center, a Washington DC-based think tank, levels below the Jinghong have been spiking up and down since December, the result of hydropeaking operations. This is when, because of demand peaking during the day, the turbines are shut off overnight with water release restricted until demand spikes the next day. Brian Eyler of the Stimson Center says Read More…

Human Behavior Must Be Factored Into Climate Change Analyses

The Ritz Herald — A new Cornell University-led study examines how temperature affects fishing behavior and catches among inland fisher households in Cambodia, with important implications for understanding climate change. The research, which used household surveys, temperature data and statistical models, revealed that when temperatures rise, people fish less often. At the same time, the Read More…

Google helps tackle plastic pollution in the Mekong River, aided by…

Channel Asia — The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has partnered with Google to fight plastic pollution in the Mekong River, leveraging citizen science and machine learning to understand the magnitude of the problem impacting the longest river in Southeast Asia. Aided by technical advisory support from Google, the CounterMEASURE project will build and deploy a new machine learning model Read More…

People live in fear as Mekong riverbanks collapse

Khmer Times — One recent mid-morning, Lev Pheng Ang, a 52-year-old mother who runs a grocery store on the bank of the Mekong River in Rakar Korng Muoy   commune, Kandal province’s Muk Kampoul district, was running her business as usual when she heard a loud splash in the river next to her store. She thought someone might have driven his or her car into the river. So, she rushed to the Read More…