Wednesday November 20, 2024
The Nation —
Speaking at the inauguration, Chanthanet Boualapha, the Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Lao PDR and Alternate Council Member of Lao PDR highlighted the importance of this milestone, given that core river monitoring is essential to track hydrology, sediment, water quality, fishery health, and the overall ecology of the Lower Mekong Basin.
“During the recent rainy season, Laos faced impacts from tropical storms, particularly Typhoon Yagi, causing widespread flooding. However, the meteorological and hydrological stations within the MRC core river monitoring network, and other stations under our Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, played a key role in providing timely and scientific information for early warning and flood preparedness at flood risk areas,” Chanthanet emphasised.
Over the past decade, monitoring efforts under the MRC have matured into an integrated core network, thanks to support from the MRC Member countries – Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam – and Development Partners. For the latest expansion, France, Japan, Germany, and the UK made specific contributions in terms of equipment and upgrades. French Ambassador to Laos Siv-Leng Chhuor; Nicole Stechmann, Chargée d’affaires of the German Embassy in Laos; Junya Nakano, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of Japan Embassy in Laos; and Matthew Phillips, First Secretary of the British Embassy to Thailand attended the event.