A total of 11 dams are planned along the Mekong, storing up trouble for millions of people, the world’s largest inland fishery and critically endangered species
In a remote part of northern Laos, history is being made. Construction has begun on the final stage of the $3.5bn Xayaburi dam – the first dam to span the entire mainstem of the lower Mekong River. At the same time, in southern Laos, where the Mekong River’s braided channel flows languidly around thousands of sandy islands, preliminary work has begun on the roads and bridges needed to build the $300m Don Sahong dam.
This historic moment, however, is an ominous sign for the river’s 60 million downstream residents, some of the planet’s most endangered wildlife species and the world’s most productive inland fishery. With a total of 11 dams planned for the lower Mekong River, the future of this mighty waterway is in grave danger.
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