In the quest to reduce reliance on carbon-laden fossil fuel for power generation, the world has been developing renewable sources of energy, building dams along the banks of rivers and their tributaries for hydropower.
In this episode, host Nirmal Ghosh speaks to Senior Fellow and co-lead of the Mekong Dam Monitor at the Stimson Center Brian Eyler and Thailand-based Campaigns Director for Thailand and Myanmar of International Rivers Pianporn Deetes.
At Asia’s Mekong River, indiscriminate dam building is changing the landscape. Nowhere is this modification of river systems more apparent than on Southeast Asia’s largest river, where its natural flow has been interfered with in the name of water control and hydro power, creating additional risks as entire riverine ecosystems are transformed, consequently affecting the livelihoods of local communities.
An engineering mindset, urban-based and elite-driven decision making that leaves little or no agency to local communities affected by changes to the river system, and an element of unaccountability, are some of the factors that have been driving the transformation of the river system, experts Mr Brian Eyler and Ms Pianporn Deetes, told ST’s Green Pulse podcast.
Of these, over 600 are in Mekong River Commission member countries - and the Commission has only been notified in around one in ten cases, he said. “There are direct relationships between the operations of those really large dams in China and the downstream ecological response,” he said. But China denies that its dams cause problems downstream, blaming the criticism on preconceived judgements and politics.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Asian rivers are in trouble - and none more so than the MekongAs monsoon rains saturate South and Southeast Asia, many rivers have risen in spate, and it is easy at this time of plenty, to forget that all Asia’s great rivers originating in the Himalayas are in trouble as the snow and ice at their sources shrink as the planet warms, creating the risk both of droughts and sudden floods.
Read more »
What a waste: New HDB flat owners dumping unused eco-friendly toilet bowlsSINGAPORE — After receiving the keys to their brand new Build-to-Order (BTO) flat last year, Jake Cheng and his wife Sandra Low eagerly began planning the renovation of their dream home.
Read more »
‘Kids are like sponges’: Raising eco-warriors from as young as 2-years-oldPre-schools and outdoor adventure schools do their part to nurture eco-conscious children.
Read more »
Style News: Cartier opens immersive Trinity pop-up, eco-friendly retail festival Green-House returnsCartier's iconic Trinity ring celebrates turning 100 years old in 2024.
Read more »
Where did this secondhand shirt come from? As thrift shops proliferate, eco-conscious youths are questioning their sourcingSINGAPORE — English undergraduate Hannah Jade Lim now exercises more caution than she used to while shopping for thrifted clothes.
Read more »
Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi escapes pressure of Drive My Car’s success with follow-up filmHe co-wrote eco-thriller Evil Does Not Exist, the Grand Jury Prize winner at the Venice International Film Festival.
Read more »