GROUP 7

Mini-Project Date: 20th July 2009

Mekong river before sunset

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong

Description: The Mekong River is one of the world's major rivers. It is the world's 10th-longest
river and the 7th-longest in Asia(discharging 475km3 of water anually).It is estimated length is
4,350km, and it drains an area of 795,000km2.From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China's Yunnan province,Burma, Thailand ,Laos ,Cambodia and Vietnam. A South-and Southeast Asian regional assiociation,the Mekong-Ganga cooperation,is named after both this river and the Ganges river.

Uses of the river:

Fishing

1. Fishing is a very important part of the economy activities in the area and a vital
source of protein in the local diet.Estimates indicate that some 120 fish species
commercially traded but most of the fishery is based on 10-20 species.
Transport

2. There are fews road in the Mekong basin. The river is an effective way of shifting
passengers and goods.


Problems facing of the river:

Damage to Environmentand livelihood of villages


1. A number of dams have alrewady been built on the river's tributaries notably
the Pak Mun dam in Thailand. This has been critisized on grounds of cost as well
as damage to the environment and to the livelihoods of affected villagers, though none
have been built on the main part itself .

Endangered species

2. Since the building of the first Chinese dam(Gongguoqiao Dam), many species have
become endangered including the Mekong dolphin and manatee, water levels have
dropped as ferries get stuck, fish caught small and the cathch is less than half of before
the dam, the turnover at Chiang Rai port is less than 1/4 of previous years, and
crossings from to isolated Luang Prabang have lengthened from 8 hours to 2 days due
to inadequate water levels.