The Mekong River - survival for millions

Lake Tonle Sap

Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta Wetland

CLIMATE RESILIENT MEKONG:

MAINTAINING THE FLOWS THAT NOURISH LIFE

With the Support of Partners and Cooperating Agencies:

National Governments: International NGOs:

Ministry of Water Resources and

Meteorology, Cambodia

Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment,

Vietnam

Consvervation International

World Wide Fund

Department of Water Resources, Thailand

Water Resources & Environment

Administration, Lao PDR [Invited, but not confirmed]

The Nature Conservancy

Natural Heritage Insitute [Project Coordinator]

Major Initial Funder:

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

• 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

To inform decisions on siting, design and operation of dams to:

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