The Diplomat — On September 11, the United States and the five lower Mekong nations launched a new framework for multilateral cooperation amid rising concerns about China’s expanding influence in mainland Southeast Asia. In announcing the new Mekong-U.S. Partnership at a meeting in Hanoi, the U.S. State Department pledged  at least $153 million to Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam Read More…

VNExpress — Authorities in Ben Tre Province have approved a plan to build the Mekong Delta's largest freshwater reservoir to help tackle drought and salinity during the dry season. Construction of the Lac Dia Lake, which will have a capacity of 1.3 million cubic meters, is expected to begin in 2021 and take five years, according to Nguyen Huu Lap, the province's vice chairman. The Read More…

Radio Free Asia — The Mekong River Commission (MRC) and Facebook have launched a joint collaborative initiative to share flood and drought warnings—a move rural Lao villagers said was a vast improvement over the previous system. The partnership aims to increase awareness among citizens of the four MRC member countries, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, the MRC said in a recent press Read More…

Global Times — Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian slammed the US for hyping issues of the Mekong River resources to sow discord among Mekong countries, calling for trust, understanding and support among countries in the region. Zhao responded to groundless and false stigmatization by the US at a press briefing on Tuesday, after David Stilwell, the Assistant Secretary of Read More…

Bangkok Post — Water levels in the Mekong river and its tributaries in this northeastern border province are very low compared to past years, jeopardising the livelihoods of farmers who raise fish in baskets, according to local media reports. In Muang district, water in the Mekong river is now only about 5 metres high -- 8 metres below the spill-over level of 13 metres. It is the lower Read More…

The Diplomat — A senior American diplomat has criticized China’s string of hydropower dams on the Mekong River, becoming the latest U.S. official to raise alarm about their possible effects on countries downstream. David R. Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, accused Beijing of using its 11-dam cascade on the upper reaches of the river to withhold water, Read More…

The Star — Fishing offences in the Anlong Kampi Irrawaddy dolphin conservation area are still happening despite a ban, the Kampi fishing community said. Most fish poachers use electric shock devices with power connected to their nets to catch fish in deep water, a practice that affects rare and endangered fish and dolphins. Kampi fishing community chief Thon Narong told The Post on Read More…

Eleven — The Phnom Penh Post - The Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) on Tuesday welcomed Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s pledge to share year-round hydrological data with Mekong countries. But in a press release issued a day after the virtual Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Leaders’ summit, MRCS’ CEO An Pich Hatda also urged China to clarify what data is to be included and how it Read More…

Bangkok Post — The water level in the Mekong river is rising steadily and people living along its banks at this northeastern border province have been advised to take precautions against possible overflowing. On Monday morning, water in the Mekong river was about 9 metres high, 4m below the spill-over level of 13m. The level is rising at 20-30 centimetres per day. Provincial Read More…

VN Express — A section of the Cai Lon River in Hau Giang Province has turned black and foul-smelling, killing fish and contaminating local water sources. For the past several days Ly Minh Lam, a resident of Long My Town in the Mekong Delta province, has been unable to use water from the river for his family's straw mushroom garden. He has begun to think of installing pipes to carry water Read More…