Reports

2018 Lower Mekong Water Quality Monitoring Report

This reports on the results of the monitoring of water quality across 48 stations in the LMB. The report shows the water quality in the Mekong and Bassac Rivers was still of good quality with the slight improvement compared with 2016. There was only a small number of measurements of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and dissolved oxygen (DO) that violated the MRC Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Human Health (WQGH) and the MRC Water Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life (WQGA). Most exceedances were recorded in the Delta. Of a slight concern was the DO level at Chau Doc, which violated the WQGH for all sampling occasions causing water quality for the protection of human health to be downgraded from ‘good’ in 2017 to ‘moderate’ in 2018.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.qx5ynz | Published on: 19 Nov 2021 | Language: English

Status and Trends of Fish Abundance and Diversity in the Lower Mekong Basin during 2007–2018

The report is the first ever large-scale study to consider both spatial and temporal variations of fish abundance and diversity in the LMB, using the MRC’s long-term fisheries monitoring data. The monitoring was conducted daily between 2007 and 2018 by professional fishers at 38 stations along the Mekong mainstream and its major tributaries. But only 25 sites were selected for the study due to incomplete data. Eleven of the 25 monitoring stations were in Cambodia, four in Lao PDR, and five each in Thailand and Viet Nam. The study found 617 fish species, belonging to 21 order and 80 families in the LMB from 2007 to 2018. Some 37,530,460 individuals, corresponding to 1,095,848 Kg of fishes were collected. Temporally, both fish diversity and catch have increased during the survey period in the Tonle Sap and the Mekong upstream in southern Laos and Thailand, informing the high diversity of these areas and that sampling effort is still growing.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.qx5yo0 | Published on: 18 Oct 2021 | Language: English

Social Impact Monitoring and Vulnerability Assessment (SIMVA) 2018
Report on 2018 baseline survey of the Lower Mekong mainstream and floodplain areas

SIMVA 2018 is the third survey of its type and was conducted in the same sites and used the same methods of collecting primary household and village data, as the SIMVA 2014 and 2011 exercises. Covering 2,800 households in 200 villages the 2018 survey shows that communities in the Mekong mainstream corridor were still dependent on the river resources for their livelihoods, income, and well-being. As such, they are still vulnerable to changes in the Mekong water resources. However, their overall dependency has decreased with other, non-water resources-related livelihood activities playing increasingly important roles. From 2014 to 2018 the percentage of households engaging in fishing decreased across the region from 50% to approximately 37%. The study also indicates growing incidence of flooding, possibly as a result of climate change and other factors, including water infrastructure development. Government support in livelihood diversification and disaster coping strategies is essential and there is much room for improvement in this regard.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.qx5ynt | Published on: 18 Oct 2021 | Language: English

Situation Report on Dry Season Hydrological Conditions in the Lower Mekong River Basin: November 2020–May 2021

This Situation Report presents a preliminary analysis of the Lower Mekong River Basin hydro-meteorological conditions over the 2020–2021 dry season. It shows fluctuations in water levels in the upper reaches of the Mekong mainstream in Lao PDR and Thailand, as well as low water volume stored in the Tonle Sap Lake. Rainfall in April–May was the highest on record for these months for the last 18 years in places. Overall, flows in the Mekong in the first five months of 2021 were also higher than the long-term average, except for December 2020 where flows in the Mekong mainstream were closer to normal. But river flows did not increase significantly.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.qx5yo1 | Published on: 30 Jun 2021 | Language: English

Situation Report on Hydrological Conditions in the Lower Mekong River Basin in July–December 2020

The report presents a preliminary analysis of the hydro-meteorological conditions in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) in July–December 2020. The report suggests that the LMB experience a second year of low flows at the beginning and a delayed onset of the wet season in 2020, with some parts experiencing low flows and appearing to be worse than that in 2019.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.qx5yo2 | Published on: 21 May 2021 | Language: English

Situation Report On Hydrological Conditions In the Lower Mekong River Basin in January-July 2020

The report presents a preliminary analysis of the hydro-meteorological conditions in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) in January-July 2020 and identifies multiple possible causes of the low flows and drought in 2020.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.ajg3u0 | Published on: 07 Aug 2020 | Language: English

Technical Review Report on Prior Consultation for the Luang Prabang Hydropower Project

The report was prepared to support the prior consultation process for the proposed Luang Prabang hydropower project. It provides a scientific review of the documentation submitted to the MRC by the Lao National Mekong Committee, covering hydrology and hydraulics, sediment and geomorphology, water quality and aquatic ecology, fish passage and fisheries, navigation, dam safety, and socio-economic aspects.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.ajg3u2 | Published on: 14 Jul 2020 | Language: English

Annual Mekong Hydrology, Flood and Drought Report 2018

The report will replaces the Annual Mekong Flood Report to provide an annual summary on different hydrological subjects, ranging from flood, hydrology, and drought recognition to monitoring and early warning, remote sensing, modelling, and water management.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.ajg3u4 | Published on: 09 Jul 2020 | Language: English

2019 Lower Mekong Water Quality Monitoring Report

This report contains the assessment of the status and trends of water quality at 30 stations across the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB). In addition to the assessment of water quality at all 17 mainstream and 5 Bassac stations, this report also includes the results of water quality analyses at 8 selected tributary stations covering 7 tributaries of the Mekong River, namely the Mae Kok River, Nam Ou River, Houay Mak Hiao, Nam Mun River, Se San River, Sre Pok River, and Tonle Sap River.

Download | DOI: 10.52107/mrc.ay2l1c | Published on: 01 Jun 2020 | Language: English

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