Welcome to Mekong Flows

  “This site is dedicated to  providing information on potential flow changes in the Mekong River and its tributaries.  Outcomes of on-going research  on  the expected  environmental and economic impact of these changes are also presented.” 

The  Mekong river flows 4800 km from  Tibet through China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand,Cambodia, the Vietnam delta, and into the South China Sea, draining an area of 795,000 sq. km.   It is currenlty one of the least modified large rivers and the second most bio-diverse river in the world after the Amazon.   

Flows in the Mekong are naturally controlled by the seasonal tropical monsoons.  The current patterns and variations of water flows in the Mekong River are critical to sustaining fisheries, agriculture, ecosystems as well as the culture of people in the basin. The river supports the world's largest freshwater fishery and the livelihood of 65 million people dependent on its flows.  These flows are  at risk of being significantly altered through  extensive ongoing developments and plans of hydropower in mainstream and tributaries, water abstractions for agriculture, and climate change.

 Mekong River basin location map