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Mekong Youth Water Quality Workshop “From Samples to Solutions”

30 March 2026 @ 8:00 am - 4 April 2026 @ 5:00 pm

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Across the Mekong River Basin, water quality is becoming a more urgent and public-facing concern because pressures on rivers are increasing at the same time. Rapid urban growth, water infrastructure development, expanding tourism hubs, and intensifying agriculture all raise the risk of wastewater, nutrients, and solid waste entering waterways. The MRC already runs routine water quality monitoring through Member Countries’ designated laboratories and reports on results annually, which shows the system is in place and generates credible data for learning and action.

Another clear trend is that pollution is not just chemical or wastewater related. Plastic is now treated as a serious water quality issue in the Lower Mekong. At the same time, water quality risks are closely connected with wider river changes. The MRC’s annual reporting has flagged major basin trends such as changing flow patterns, including higher dry-season flows and lower wet-season flows compared with past conditions. While flow is not the same as water quality, it strongly affects it. Changes in flow can influence dilution, sediment transport, and how pollution moves and concentrates in certain stretches of the river. This is one reason why water quality learning needs to be practical and linked to real locations, not only classroom theory.

Globally, water governance is shifting toward citizen science and youth participation, with UN and UNESCO reporting that well-managed community sampling and observation can strengthen water knowledge and SDG 6 reporting. Therefore, the MRC Youth Water Quality Workshop will connect observation, sampling, lab results, and practical discussion that helps translate monitoring into public understanding. It will then build a new generation that can communicate water quality issues in a factual and responsible way.

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Any questions, please contact:

  • Dararat Weerapong (Mam), Stakeholder Engagement Specialist, dararat.w@mrcmekong.org
  • Chandaly Mao (Daly), Communications Officer, chandaly@mrcmekong.org
  • Rafael Silan (Ted), Communications and Event Consultant rafael@mrcmekong.org
  • Phan Nhat Tra My (Joy), Junior Riparian Professional, phan@mrcmekong.org

For the programme agenda, please refer to this: Mekong Youth Water Quality Workshop_Info

Details

Venue

  • Luang Prabang, Laos
  • Luang Prabang & Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic + Google Map