5895. Hydropower dams

 Massive dam-building spree across the Mekong river in recent decades as harnessing the power of flowing water to generate electricity is one of the oldest form of renewable energy. Hydropower dams are a reliable and clean source of energy and income.

But hydropower has non-carbon environmental impacts. Hydropower projects affect the river' s natural rhythm. They change water levels, block fish migration passages and affect agriculture which depends on the natural ability of the river system to produce sediments, nutrients and bring water through the system.

Alternative approaches to clean energy design are the building of large-scale wind parks and installing floating solar panels on the Mekong dam reservoirs in Laos and Thailand. 

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS

Instead of taming the Mekong River with concrete and channelized barriers, the river should reclaim its own course through the conservation of its natural resources.

For example, mangroves and marshes can act as sponges, absorbing water and reducing the impact of waves on the shorelines. Restoring and protecting natural habitats can help mitigate floods, improve water quality and enhance biodiversity.

LISTENING TO THE LOCALS
in pushing forward alternative solutions and approaches in the region. E.g. Chiang Khong Conservation Group in Northern Thailand. Activists succeeded in stopping Chinese engineers from blasting river rapids along the Thai-Laos border to allow large  Chinese ships to navigate further downstream. The Thai government halted the cross-border project due to its potential environmental harm.