Development of the Mekong River Basin, Its Problems and Future Prospects

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The Mekong River basin covers six Asian countries, with 50 million inhabitants. Its development would greatly improve their living standards, now at near-subsistence levels. Beginning in the 1950s, the United Nations proposed a collaborative study for comprehensive international development in its lower basin. Leading industrialized nations supported this proposal and launched various studies on hydropower, irrigation, navigation, fisheries, and flood control. These studies led to the completion of several domestic dam projects. The onset of the Viet Nam War suspended further surveys. The end of hostilities enabled development studies to resume. Meanwhile, China, located in the upper basin, started the development of dams on the mainstream and tributaries. This paper describes the necessity, history, and problems of the development and the status of the entire river basin. It also describes several prerequisites for its sustainable development, and the vision needed by the nations cooperating in the Mekong's development.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: