Transboundary River Cooperation in Mekong Basin: A Sub-regional Perspective

Abstract

Freshwater resource management is one of the important challenges of the twenty-first century. It becomes more complicated when the river crosses a political boundary. A country can implement water resource management policies to promote more sustainable growth and development within its borders. However, it is not easy to enforce policies in the case of a transboundary river. Mekong River basin is crucial for freshwater resources and other activities like fishing, agricultural production, transportation, diverse biodiversity, hydropower generation, and so on. In addition, the basin supports the livelihoods of more than 60 million people. The massive expansion in the development of hydroelectric plants in the upper reaches of the Mekong has had a significant impact on the basin’s ecology during the previous decade. Hydropower dams are trapping the nutrients carrying sediment load and preventing it from reaching the floodplains. China’s increasing hydropower activities is a significant concern for downstream countries. Its policies are not transparent with lower Mekong basin (LMB) nations. To limit China’s influence, the USA is also attempting to engage with the basin countries. In such a situation, effective sub-regional cooperation for the sustainable development of the Mekong basin is crucial, where all stakeholders’ interests are considered.