The Mekong
- Thread starter DavidFL
- Start date
Davidfl;255096 wrote: 1st APRIL 2010. On the way back from Vietnam.
ROUTE 211 Nong Khai - Chiang Khan.
Hot 'n dry & little water in the 'Khong.
The Don Chan Palace hotel, from Sri Chiang Mai.
FURTHER DOWNSTREAM & The 500 baht question - where is this / taken from?
Chiang Khan & the "dry" Kaeng Khut Ku rapids
where are the rapids?
The beach upstream from the rapids
A comparison from the GTR Mekong Boat Trip Part 3.
24th MAY 2014
Wat Pha Tak Suea
from where these pics below were taken
The Kaeng Khut Ku rapids in the dry
& sailing through on 24th May 2014
See the full GTR Trip Report here
GT-Rider Mekong Cruise Part III
G'day All, A quick report on the recent GTR Mekong Cruise. It was rather a dramatic start to this long weekend. Left work at 5pm taking the train to the airport and fly up to Chiang Mai. Check the news.. The Coup had just been announced. For a moment I did think.. I should go back to the...
www.gt-rider.com
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The Mekong 10 km before Pakbeng
The ferry near Pakbeng ( Laos)
Pakbeng
Between Xieng Kok and Xieng Dao ( North Laos)
Down to the ferry near Luangprabang
The ferry to LPB.
And somtimes you see this. A man killed in China or Laos, Burma ?? Fix on a bamboo raft ( see the string over his ass ) But this is a crazy story - coming later.
The Mekong near Chiang Khong January 2015.
Upstream from the new "no name" temple on the hill
A Houei Xai view
Upstream from the new "no name" temple on the hill
A Houei Xai view
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July 2015.
Chiang Saen / Ton Phueng (Laos) & the Golden Triangle from Wat Phra That Pa Ngao, 4 kms downstream from Chiang Saen.
Chiang Saen / Ton Phueng (Laos) & the Golden Triangle from Wat Phra That Pa Ngao, 4 kms downstream from Chiang Saen.
Luang Prabang 20 December 2015
The Mekong Luang Prabang
the best sunset views are from the Viradesa Riverside Sunset restaurant
Luang Prabang Sunset from the Viradesa Riverside Sunset
21 December 2015 - as good as it gets!
Luang Prabang Sunset from the Viradesa Riverside Sunset
downstream the Ock Pop Tok has a nice sun deck at their handicraft centre
Ock Pop Tok, Luang Prabang
22 December 2015. An Ock Pop Tok view upstream
a sensational downstream view from Ock Pop Tok
Ock Pop Tok, Luang Prabang
Ock Pop Tok, Luang Prabang
The Mekong Luang Prabang
the best sunset views are from the Viradesa Riverside Sunset restaurant
Luang Prabang Sunset from the Viradesa Riverside Sunset
21 December 2015 - as good as it gets!
Luang Prabang Sunset from the Viradesa Riverside Sunset
downstream the Ock Pop Tok has a nice sun deck at their handicraft centre
Ock Pop Tok, Luang Prabang
22 December 2015. An Ock Pop Tok view upstream
a sensational downstream view from Ock Pop Tok
Ock Pop Tok, Luang Prabang
Ock Pop Tok, Luang Prabang
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8-11 January 2016
A stunning sunset from the Khamfong restaurant boat.
A stunning sunset from the Khamfong restaurant boat.
The Khamfong boat restaurant - Pakxe.
Chiang Khong February 2017
The bridge downstream from Pak Ing
Houei Xai
A timeless village water life
On the 5th Feb they had a small protest in Chiang Khong against the (Chinese) proposed blasting of all the river rapids & rocks between Chiang Saen & Chiang Khong
Riverside village elders conducted a spirit ceremony to bless the Mekong.
There was loads of info (in Thai) on the value of saving the Mekong rocks & rapids.
One excellent chart listed all the different species of fauna & fish that inhabited the various sections of the river & the list is truly amazing.
There was plenty of media coverage
The finale for the day
Some media articles on the proposed destruction of the river rocks & rapids.
Mekong projects must take impact on environment into account - The Nation
The soul of the Mekong is in serious trouble
Tom Fawthrop's excellent article
https://scroll.in/article/828460/me...the-river-to-make-way-for-chinese-cargo-boats
Tom's Eureka Film on the Mekong dams
The bridge downstream from Pak Ing
Houei Xai
A timeless village water life
On the 5th Feb they had a small protest in Chiang Khong against the (Chinese) proposed blasting of all the river rapids & rocks between Chiang Saen & Chiang Khong
Riverside village elders conducted a spirit ceremony to bless the Mekong.
There was loads of info (in Thai) on the value of saving the Mekong rocks & rapids.
One excellent chart listed all the different species of fauna & fish that inhabited the various sections of the river & the list is truly amazing.
There was plenty of media coverage
The finale for the day
Some media articles on the proposed destruction of the river rocks & rapids.
Mekong projects must take impact on environment into account - The Nation
The soul of the Mekong is in serious trouble
Tom Fawthrop's excellent article
https://scroll.in/article/828460/me...the-river-to-make-way-for-chinese-cargo-boats
Tom's Eureka Film on the Mekong dams
Chiang Khong February 2017
The bridge downstream from Pak Ing
Houei Xai
A timeless village water life
On the 5th Feb they had a small protest in Chiang Khong against the (Chinese) proposed blasting of all the river rapids & rocks between Chiang Saen & Chiang Khong
Riverside village elders conducted a spirit ceremony to bless the Mekong.
There was loads of info (in Thai) on the value of saving the Mekong rocks & rapids.
One excellent chart listed all the different species of fauna & fish that inhabited the various sections of the river & the list is truly amazing.
There was plenty of media coverage
The finale for the day
Some media articles on the proposed destruction of the river rocks & rapids.
Mekong projects must take impact on environment into account - The Nation
The soul of the Mekong is in serious trouble
Tom Fawthrop's excellent article
Mekong in crisis: Thailand plans to blast isles in the river to make way for Chinese cargo boats
Tom's Eureka Film on the Mekong dams
Tom Fawthrop was one of the journalists at the protest.
Here is another good article from Tom on the Mekong & the dams.
Killing the Mekong dam by dam - The Nation
Killing the Mekong dam by dam
Will it bring economic benefits or will the losses outweigh the gains?
Down the ages the mighty Mekong has beguiled explorers and locals alike with its swirling rapids, rocky inlets and dotted islets. Currents, reefs and rocks have repeatedly thwarted attempts at smooth navigation since French colonial times.
But today the natural landscape and rich biodiversity of the region’s longest river are under serious threat from both commercial plans for rock-blasting and a cascade of hydro-dams, which would combine to transform a free-flowing river into a series of reservoirs linked by canalisation.
Marc Goichot, chief water resources expert for the World Wildlife Fund Mekong region, sums up the river’s acute crisis: “Today, water quality is degrading fast. The drought in 2015 was the worst on record, floods are more frequent, fish catches are declining and the entire riverbed and river bank are eroding. The Mekong delta is literally sinking and shrinking.”
The river is reeling under the impacts from two new dams under construction on the lower Mekong in Laos – the Xayaburi and the Don Sahong dams. And a Chinese project at Pak Beng in Laos will be launched by the end of this year, in addition to the seven existing dams upstream in China.
The rush to unleash an unregulated cascade of 11 dams on the lower Mekong is inflicting irreversible harm on the region’s most important river.
Water resources and river governance
A recent WWF report sought to remind governments and the business sector that it is not only the ecology that will be destroyed. In the long-term there will be serious losses to the economy as well.
“Economic growth in the Greater Mekong region depends on the Mekong River, but unsustainable and uncoordinated development is pushing the river system to the brink.”
Meanwhile a Finnish study reports that hydrology of the river has suffered major changes from Chinese dams. The annual flood pulse during the monsoon season has been seriously disrupted by reduced water flow.
Fisheries experts have warned that this will erode food security for the 60 million people living in the Mekong basin.
The lack of good governance and riverine regulation has led to excessive sand-mining for the construction industry in China, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This deprives the Mekong of essential sediment needed for the preservation of a healthy river.
These business decisions take place without any prior consultation with environmental agencies, local communities or any knowledge of the damage being done to the river.
Stuart Orr, a co- author of the WWF report says: “Governments, companies and communities in the Mekong region must come together to develop joint solutions to water governance challenges”, instead of the current fragmentation of decision-making between the Mekong River countries, investors and planners.
At its inception in 1995, it was hoped that the Mekong River Commission (MRC) would achieve a spirit of cooperation for the common good of all stakeholders and protection of the river’s ecology. But its lack of regulatory powers, and lacklustre leadership has spurred a passive response to the fate of the region’s longest river, and over-exploitation for commercial development.
China’s grand plan to remove all obstacles to navigation – rocks reefs and rapids – has gained general approval from Thailand, without any prior study of the importance of the river’s biodiversity. Goods do not have to be transported by the waterway, since there are already viable alternative road routes while major rail lines through Laos and Thailand are in the pipeline. But wild birds, fish and other species that thrive on the islets of a free-flowing river have no alternatives. This biodiversity, once gone, is irreplaceable.
Mekong experts say that in order to forge a consensus on responsible business and more ethical investment, companies should be offered economic incentives with taxes and compliance offsets to foster integrated economic planning that is sensitive to environmental impacts, prior to any major investment decision being taken.
Current practice permits governments and investors to build a dam first and consider the environmental consequences later.
In the case of the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams in Laos, the decision on construction was taken prior to any consultation with riparian neighbours, resulting in a seriously weakened MRC-consultation process. The other Mekong stakeholders were merely invited to offer suggestions on how to limit the environmental damage – and denied any voice on the more substantive issue of whether the dam projects should go ahead or be stopped.
The fundamental flaw in this approach is the peremptory dismissal of the stand taken by millions of Mekong citizens living downstream in Cambodia, Vietnam and eight Thai provinces bordering the river, who did not believe the developers’ claim that construction would bring only minor impacts.
Most debate on the future of the Mekong has turned on such arguments as “trade-offs” between the ecology and the economy, based on an unproven assumption that environmental harm and fisheries can be easily mitigated.
Natural Mekong fisheries in the four MRC countries are worth a total $11 billion per year. If we incorporate fish farming, that figure increases to $17 billion.
But can the world’s most valuable freshwater fisheries, on whom 60 million people depend for food security, survive the threats posed by the dams?
Dr Martin Mallen-Cooper, a fisheries specialist and research professor at Australia’s Charles Sturt University, is sceptical: “Assessment and mitigation of impacts are not a priority for developers of Mekong dams and impacts are often poorly understood.”
Will it bring economic benefits or will the losses outweigh the gains?
Down the ages the mighty Mekong has beguiled explorers and locals alike with its swirling rapids, rocky inlets and dotted islets. Currents, reefs and rocks have repeatedly thwarted attempts at smooth navigation since French colonial times.
But today the natural landscape and rich biodiversity of the region’s longest river are under serious threat from both commercial plans for rock-blasting and a cascade of hydro-dams, which would combine to transform a free-flowing river into a series of reservoirs linked by canalisation.
Marc Goichot, chief water resources expert for the World Wildlife Fund Mekong region, sums up the river’s acute crisis: “Today, water quality is degrading fast. The drought in 2015 was the worst on record, floods are more frequent, fish catches are declining and the entire riverbed and river bank are eroding. The Mekong delta is literally sinking and shrinking.”
The river is reeling under the impacts from two new dams under construction on the lower Mekong in Laos – the Xayaburi and the Don Sahong dams. And a Chinese project at Pak Beng in Laos will be launched by the end of this year, in addition to the seven existing dams upstream in China.
The rush to unleash an unregulated cascade of 11 dams on the lower Mekong is inflicting irreversible harm on the region’s most important river.
Water resources and river governance
A recent WWF report sought to remind governments and the business sector that it is not only the ecology that will be destroyed. In the long-term there will be serious losses to the economy as well.
“Economic growth in the Greater Mekong region depends on the Mekong River, but unsustainable and uncoordinated development is pushing the river system to the brink.”
Meanwhile a Finnish study reports that hydrology of the river has suffered major changes from Chinese dams. The annual flood pulse during the monsoon season has been seriously disrupted by reduced water flow.
Fisheries experts have warned that this will erode food security for the 60 million people living in the Mekong basin.
The lack of good governance and riverine regulation has led to excessive sand-mining for the construction industry in China, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This deprives the Mekong of essential sediment needed for the preservation of a healthy river.
These business decisions take place without any prior consultation with environmental agencies, local communities or any knowledge of the damage being done to the river.
Stuart Orr, a co- author of the WWF report says: “Governments, companies and communities in the Mekong region must come together to develop joint solutions to water governance challenges”, instead of the current fragmentation of decision-making between the Mekong River countries, investors and planners.
At its inception in 1995, it was hoped that the Mekong River Commission (MRC) would achieve a spirit of cooperation for the common good of all stakeholders and protection of the river’s ecology. But its lack of regulatory powers, and lacklustre leadership has spurred a passive response to the fate of the region’s longest river, and over-exploitation for commercial development.
China’s grand plan to remove all obstacles to navigation – rocks reefs and rapids – has gained general approval from Thailand, without any prior study of the importance of the river’s biodiversity. Goods do not have to be transported by the waterway, since there are already viable alternative road routes while major rail lines through Laos and Thailand are in the pipeline. But wild birds, fish and other species that thrive on the islets of a free-flowing river have no alternatives. This biodiversity, once gone, is irreplaceable.
Mekong experts say that in order to forge a consensus on responsible business and more ethical investment, companies should be offered economic incentives with taxes and compliance offsets to foster integrated economic planning that is sensitive to environmental impacts, prior to any major investment decision being taken.
Current practice permits governments and investors to build a dam first and consider the environmental consequences later.
In the case of the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams in Laos, the decision on construction was taken prior to any consultation with riparian neighbours, resulting in a seriously weakened MRC-consultation process. The other Mekong stakeholders were merely invited to offer suggestions on how to limit the environmental damage – and denied any voice on the more substantive issue of whether the dam projects should go ahead or be stopped.
The fundamental flaw in this approach is the peremptory dismissal of the stand taken by millions of Mekong citizens living downstream in Cambodia, Vietnam and eight Thai provinces bordering the river, who did not believe the developers’ claim that construction would bring only minor impacts.
Most debate on the future of the Mekong has turned on such arguments as “trade-offs” between the ecology and the economy, based on an unproven assumption that environmental harm and fisheries can be easily mitigated.
Natural Mekong fisheries in the four MRC countries are worth a total $11 billion per year. If we incorporate fish farming, that figure increases to $17 billion.
But can the world’s most valuable freshwater fisheries, on whom 60 million people depend for food security, survive the threats posed by the dams?
Dr Martin Mallen-Cooper, a fisheries specialist and research professor at Australia’s Charles Sturt University, is sceptical: “Assessment and mitigation of impacts are not a priority for developers of Mekong dams and impacts are often poorly understood.”
Sad story for the Golden Triangle backbone ... and globally down to the Delta. It is just published after the Chinese government decided to protect a large part of their own country...after looting the neighbors
The dry season......some views from Wat Phra That Pa Ngao downstream from Chiang Saen.
24 February 2018
Looking downstream
Looking upstream
look closely at the above pic & notice
1. River dredging for sand on the Laos side
2. The massive new Kings Roman Chinese city being built at the Golden Triangle by the casino
Unbelievable you might say too.
24 February 2018
Looking downstream
Looking upstream
look closely at the above pic & notice
1. River dredging for sand on the Laos side
2. The massive new Kings Roman Chinese city being built at the Golden Triangle by the casino
Unbelievable you might say too.