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Existing Dams: 20

Planned Dams (2020): 22

Population (2020): 77,700,493

Area in Square Kilometers: 781,643

Consumption (Cubic Km/Year): 10,260

Withdrawal (Cubic Km/Year): 29,560

Runoff(mm/Year): 650

Countries: Cambodia, China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam

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The Mekong Basin is the river basin of the Mekong River, one of the world’s longest rivers, stretching about 4,900 km from the Tibetan Plateau in China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea.

Key points:

Covers about 795,000 km², making it one of the largest river basins in Asia

The Mekong has a highly seasonal flow, with heavy monsoon floods and dry-season shortages

Around 70 million people live in the basin, many relying directly on the river for food, water, and livelihoods

Supports one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world; the Mekong Delta in Vietnam is often called the "rice bowl of Asia."

Home to the largest inland fishery globally, providing up to 25% of the world’s freshwater catch.

Extremely rich in wildlife, including endangered species such as the Irrawaddy dolphin and giant catfish.

Increasingly developed for dams, especially in Laos and China, leading to major debates about sustainability, water sharing, and downstream impacts.

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Food Security & Agriculture: The Mekong River supports one of the world’s most productive inland fisheries and provides water for rice farming, which is a major food source and export product for countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Millions of people depend on it for daily nutrition and livelihoods.

Economic Activity & Livelihoods: The basin is home to over 70 million people who rely on it for fishing, farming, and transport. Hydropower projects also generate electricity that fuels regional development, though they create challenges for downstream communities.

Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services: The Mekong is a biodiversity hotspot, with thousands of fish species and unique wetlands that help regulate floods, recharge groundwater, and maintain ecological balance.

Connectivity & Trade: The river acts as a natural trade route, linking inland areas to ports and markets, boosting regional integration and cross-border commerce.

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The natural flow regime of the Mekong has changed- a result of the hydropower dams constructed on the mainstream in the Upper Mekong River Basin and on tributaries in the Lower Mekong River Basin

Floodplains are being developed and flood protection and river training are being taken up at many locations. Industrial activities such as sediment extraction from river channels are increasing.

The potential for water-related emergency situations is increasing, Natural disasters, such as flood and droughts, could become more frequent and severe in the future.

Developments outside the water sector are impacting water related resources. These include the construction of (international) roads, railways and power transmission infrastructure, the development of non-irrigated agriculture and mining activities, as well as deforestation and urbanisation.

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Flow alteration & hydropower build-out

Rapid dam expansion (esp. China & Laos) alters seasonal hydrographs; downstream countries report dry-season surpluses/wet-season deficits, shifting flood pulses that sustain floodplains/tonle sap systems.

Sediment starvation & geomorphic change

Trapping of sediment by cascades of upstream dams has sharply reduced sediment delivery to the Mekong Delta, undermining delta stability, soil fertility and mangrove/coastline resilience. (Reuters’ remote-sensing analysis; echoed in SoBR 2023).

Fisheries decline & ecological connectivity loss

Barriers disrupt fish migrations; combined with habitat conversion and sand mining, ~19% of Mekong fish species face extinction risk (WWF 2024). Megafauna size declines intensify extinction risk (2025 study). Water quality degradation

Nutrient loading, plastic pollution, and salinity intrusion (in the Delta) are emerging/high-priority issues flagged by MRC 2023; TFDD compiles the treaties/RBO procedures that address pollution control & environmental safeguards.

Climate variability, extremes & resilience

Increased frequency/intensity of droughts & floods interacts with infrastructure operations; MRC strategy stresses resilience to climate risks and transboundary cooperation on data & EIA.

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Chinese “Lancang Cascade”: Mega-dams like Xiaowan and Nuozhadu provide huge storage and hydropower capacity. These regulate seasonal flows but also trap sediment and block fish migration.

Laos Mainstream Projects: Notably Xayaburi Dam (financed with Thai support) and Don Sahong Dam (near the Cambodia border), controversial for fish migration and biodiversity impacts.

Tributary Dams: Dozens in Laos and Cambodia, further fragmenting river systems.

Irrigation Diversions: Thailand and Vietnam operate extensive irrigation and canal systems, altering flow regimes.

Delta Infrastructure: Vietnam uses dikes, sluice gates, and canals to manage salinity and floods, but these are increasingly overwhelmed by upstream changes and climate-driven sea-level rise.

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a) Flow Regulation & Water Security

Upstream dams give China and Laos hydrological leverage, affecting downstream irrigation, flood protection, and ecosystems.

Downstream states worry about unilateral dam operations with little data-sharing (China provides only limited seasonal data).

b) Fisheries & Livelihoods

Cambodia faces collapse of Tonle Sap fisheries, directly tied to changes in flood pulse and connectivity — a huge livelihood and food security issue.

c) Climate Change as a “Threat Multiplier”

Droughts and erratic rainfall (e.g., 2019 drought) are magnified by upstream regulation, heightening downstream suspicion that dams worsen natural variability.

d) Governance Gaps

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) excludes China as a full member — Beijing only participates as a “dialogue partner.”

China instead pushes the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism (LMC), shifting influence away from the MRC. This fragmented governance raises risks of competing water management rules.

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Pre-Modern Era

Ancient Civilisations: The Mekong supported the Khmer Empire (9th–15th centuries), whose capital at Angkor relied on complex irrigation linked to Mekong tributaries.

Cultural significance: For centuries, the river has been central to livelihoods, trade, and spiritual traditions across Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Colonial & Early Modern Period

1866–1868: The French Mekong Expedition attempted to navigate the river for trade routes into China but found navigation blocked by rapids and waterfalls.

French Indochina (19th–20th c.): France promoted the river as a transport route and resource base, beginning early basin-wide planning.

1947: The UN Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) initiated studies for Mekong development, marking the first international push for coordinated use.

Cold War Era

1957: Establishment of the Mekong Committee (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, South Vietnam) under UN auspices to promote joint development.

1960s–70s: U.S. involvement — the Mekong was seen as part of Cold War strategy. Plans for massive dam projects stalled due to the Vietnam War and regional instability.

1975: After the Vietnam War, regional cooperation collapsed; Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge government withdrew from Mekong development.

Renewed Regional Cooperation

1995: Creation of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its goal: to coordinate sustainable development and manage shared resources.

China and Myanmar: Not members of the MRC but became “dialogue partners.” China’s upstream dam building often strained relations with downstream states.

Hydropower & Modern Development

Early 2000s: Rapid growth of dam construction, especially in China (Lancang cascade dams) and Laos (“Battery of Southeast Asia” vision).

2009: Laos proposed the controversial Xayaburi Dam, the first mainstream dam on the lower Mekong — sparking protests from Cambodia and Vietnam over fishery and sediment losses.

2010s: Further dams followed (e.g., Don Sahong, Pak Beng), intensifying ecological and geopolitical concerns.

Recent Challenges & Events

2016: Record droughts hit the basin, with criticism that Chinese dams worsened water shortages.

2020: Research showed that China’s upstream dams were holding back water during droughts, sparking tensions.

2021–Present: Climate change impacts, combined with upstream dam expansion, have worsened salinization in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta and declining fisheries in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap.