Mekong - U.S. Partnership
Measuring What We Manage
Did you know that the US Government’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) makes its data available online for free? People can also make use of its data tools and data “recipes,” through its online tutorials for accessing and using data. Now, the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP) is working with NASA and other government agencies to…
Learning to Manage Groundwater Data in Thailand
A professional cohort of geologists and planners from Thailand’s Department of Groundwater Resources (DGR) has learned new skills for managing groundwater data, through a custom-designed training course led by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Thai farmers and poor household in some of the driest parts of the country rely on groundwater for drinking and irrigation,…
Investigating Energy Alternatives to Hydropower
Once viewed as a clean energy source, the impacts of mainstream hydropower dams on the Mekong are now plain to see. They include fisheries decline, biodiversity loss, waterway transport disruptions, and falling household incomes in riverside communities. In 2020, Cambodia called a 10-year moratorium on building any more hydropower dams domestically. But over the border…
Capacity Building during the COVID-19 Pandemic
When the first Covid-19 cases were reported, the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP) team was still closing out our biggest annual event, the Mekong Research Symposium in Hanoi, Vietnam. Almost 300 people had attended the water management event, and interest was high for another such meeting. Then came January 2020. Some SIP project activities slowed, but plans…
Is the Tonle Sap in Crisis? Learning the Lessons of History
The royal city of Angkor was unique. A complex system of irrigation channels and reservoirs enabled intensive rice cultivation that supported an estimated population of one million people. At its height, Angkor was the largest city in the pre-industrial world, and is called the world’s first ‘hydraulic city.’[1] Today, only its iconic stone temples and related…
Using More Renewable Energy in Thailand could save the Mekong and Salween Rivers
Thailand’s energy needs will hugely influence the future of the Mekong and Salween rivers, as its use of renewable energy could reduce demand for hydropower produced by its neighbors. A report published this week by the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP) and authored by policy researchers at the Stimson Center foresees a more secure energy future…
How Bangkok Stopped Sinking – and What the Mekong Delta Could Learn
In the 1980s, the city of Bangkok, Thailand, was sinking at a rate of 10 cm a year. Rapid development and uncontrolled pumping of groundwater threatened the imminent collapse of one of the world’s great cities. Today, despite the increased density of buildings and people, Bangkok has slowed its rate of land subsidence to 1…
Monitoring the Mekong Drought
As part of the Mekong Water Data Initiative (MWDI), the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP) is continuing its long-standing collaboration with Eyes on Earth in a new effort to provide near real-time monitoring of climate conditions in the Mekong region. This collaboration begins as northeastern Thailand, central Cambodia, and parts of Myanmar continue to experience the most…
Mekong Research Symposium 2021
This event will bring together scientists, academia, the public, civil society, and government to develop collaborative approaches to address regional challenges.
U.S., Vietnam Discuss Drought and Salinity Management
The Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP) and its partners launched the first Mekong Virtual Symposium today, focusing on issues of drought and salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta. More than 200 participants registered for the one and a half-hour session online, which discussed ways in which the Mekong Delta in Vietnam—an important agricultural production area—can combat…
Drought and Dams: Climatologist’s Report Sparks calls for Data Sharing
A river monitoring report has sparked calls around the region for better data sharing on water use and dam operation on the Mekong. The report, by US-based climatologist Alan Basist and his team at the private consulting firm Eyes on Earth, suggests that the operation of hydropower dams in China may be contributing to downstream…
Monitoring the Quantity of Water Flowing Through the Upper Mekong Basin Under Natural (Unimpeded) Conditions
By Alan Basist and Claude Williams Download this publication in your preferred language: English ខែ្មរ ဗမာ ไทย Tiếng Việt 中文 ລາວ
