The Mekong River - survival for millions
Lake Tonle Sap
Mekong Delta Wetland
Mekong Delta
CLIMATE RESILIENT MEKONG:
MAINTAINING THE FLOWS THAT NOURISH LIFE
With the Support of Partners and Cooperating Agencies:
National Governments:
Ministry of Water Resources and
Meteorology, Cambodia
Department of Water Resources,
Thailand
Institute of Meteorology,
Hydrology and Environment,
Vietnam
Water Resources & Environment
Administration, Lao PDR
[Invited, but not confirmed]
Major Initial Funder:
International NGOs:
Consvervation International
World Wide Fund
The Nature Conservancy
Natural Heritage Insitute
[Project Coordinator]
Cooperating Agency:
Expected Effects of Climate Change in
Mekong Basin
Precipitation & River Flow:
• Precipitation and runoff increase of 13.5 % predominantly from wet
season increases
• Increase in dry season precipitation in northern catchments and
decrease in southern catchments.
• Increase in Mekong River flow in both wet and dry seasons
– Wet season increase = 15% above PP
– Dry season increase =30% in upper portions
• Increase in total annual runoff of 21% + increase in flooding
Greater
Mekong/
Lancang
Area Inundated in the Mekong Delta (Sea Level Rise = 1m)
(Source: MRC Technical Paper No. 24, September 2009)
Maintaining the Flows that
Nourish
• Water
• Sediment
• Nutrients
• Information
River erosion due to reduction in sediment
Objective
To inform decisions on siting, design
and operation of dams to:
• Counteract the effects of climate
change
• Maintain water and sediment flows to
preserve ecosystem health and food
production
• At any level or pace of development
Sediment Capture will have High
Impact
•
On the most biologically productive
features of the river system
–
–
–
–
–
•
Floodplains—84,000 km2
Wetlands –e.g. Tonle Sap
Deep pools—400 mapped
Delta—most endangered
Near shore ocean—nutrient dependent
On the economic value of reservoir
depends on maintaining storage capacity
Project Premise
• At any level of development, there are
better and worse choices in
– Siting
– Design
– Operation
• To move sediment through dams and
reduce impacts on food/ecosystem
productivity
We need to learn about Sediment
Good for Us and Good for Them