Abstract
The Mekong River Basin is undergoing a rapid development process in which the GDP growth of some riparian countries can reach the level of 7%–8% per annum before the COVID-19 pandemic. Water infrastructures, which provide electricity, irrigation, navigation, and salinity control, have always been considered fundamental and a priority in achieving the economic development goals of the region. Hydropower, in particular, continues to proliferate along the Mekong mainstream and tributaries, and its ecological impacts are increasingly seen in the basin. These ecological challenges, while expected to rise under the ambitious future hydropower plans of the riparian countries, seem to be overlooked in the region's developmental decision-making processes. This causes much concern to communities, civil society organizations, and scientists across the basin. With an aim to contribute to the ongoing debate regarding the sustainable growth of the region, this Chapter provides an overview of hydropower development in the Mekong Basin together with their observed and expected ecological impacts, focusing on the basin's hydrology, sediment, and fisheries. Effective mitigation measures, data and knowledge sharing, joint planning and operation, and uncertainty management are recognized as areas of action that can help address the ecological impacts brought about by hydropower development in the Mekong.
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