Environmental experts gathered at a conference held in Hanoi on September 11, discussing the important roles of stakeholders in outlining hydropower master plan and protecting water resources in the Mekong River basin.

Drought in the Mekong Delta region

The event was organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development of Water Resources And Climate Change Adaptation in collaboration with the Centre for Water Resources Conservation and Development and the Vietnam Rivers Network.

Discussions at the conference highlighted water exhaustion and pollution in the Mekong Delta region and their impact on local socio-economic development, as well as potential to branch out small- and medium-sized hydropower plants in northern Lao Cai province’s Sa Pa district and its side effects on the local environment and tourism.

According to Vietnam Rivers Network’s Head Coordinator Dao Trong Tu, the conference aimed to promote the important roles of stakeholders, particularly social organisations in Vietnam, in consulting the development of hydropower in the Mekong River basin and protecting Vietnam’s interests amid the mushrooming construction of hydropower works in the upstream area.

Ky Quang Vinh, a member of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations’ chapter in Can Tho city, said the construction has worsened drought and saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta for years, leaving critical damage to local production and people’s health.

Meanwhile, representatives from Can Tho and Tra Vinh, as well as experts in water resources exchanged experience in enhancing the roles of relevant sides in hydropower development in the Mekong Delta.