To begin this course of ARW2, we will learn about the course of the Mekong River. It has been a fascination of mine since I first visited it 16 years ago. Since then I have read many books and stories about this river only to find that I am not alone in my fascination of it. Rivers in the world have made civilizations possible as communities developed around them for the water, food, and connectivity it provides. The Mekong, on the other hand, is a border. It is a line that divides. It is a major river of the world, yet the world knows little of it.Watch the video on the ARW ETC site about the Mekong and the development of it. Learn about its necessity for those who live near it and for many countries downstream. And learn about the development of hydro electricity and what that means for livelihoods, the environment, and international relations.
In this first journal blog, share 1-2 main ideas that you learned about the Mekong River that you have never known before. Also, describe one issue (either economic, environmental, cultural, or political) that you never knew about but you think is important.
Remember to include you ID# and your Section # in your post. I look forward to reading your thoughts. Aj. M
#6180693 #section7
ReplyDeleteMekong river has played an important role on people nearby Lao, China, Cambodia, and Thailand. People around there can not only earn a living from river such as agriculture and fishing but they can also seek for food to survive. These indicates that Mekong becomes important part for local people living near river. However, some individuals desire to build dams. Too much dam instruction directly affects to local people and environment in the long term. Some local people are serious to find the new habitats to live, others do not have the places to earn a living. As most of the banks in Thailand are not concerned with environmental impacts of building dams which affects to river in a negative way. They just think about money by loaning and method to improve economic condition.
In my opinion, environment is the significant issue because people’ lives mostly depend on natural sources. If they lack of natural sources, they will die. These are how environment impacts to human.
Nice comment. You have written to the complexity of this issue. And you're right that economic interest frequently win out over environmental ones.
Delete#6180603 section #7
ReplyDeleteI have leant that Mekong River is the largest river in the Southeast Asia. It is the major source of fishery where people find it crucial for their daily living in terms of food source and income. Moreover, building dams along Mekong River have several negative impacts on people's lives. They will be forced to migrate to other places due to air pollution and possibility of flooding. The ways they survive have changed where they need to spend more money on food. The citizens may experience jobs loss in order to generate income for survival as a result of decline in fish population. From my perspective, this is an important issue as it worsen people’s quality of life in the way that some people will lose educational opportunities. I think that it can be a problematic for their survival in the future, because they may lack of knowledge about how to live their lives. Another point I have never known before is that Thailand strongly disagree with dam construction project, because they are aware of Mekong River conservation to save fish species. Therefore, they started to do experiments to support fish migration. This action maintains the ecosystem effectively.
Thank you for this. I appreciate how you noted Thailand's position on this. We will look at this during the course. But you're right, Thailand is very much a sponsor and builder of dams on the Mekong.
Delete#6180557 #section7
ReplyDeleteI think the main thing I learnt from the Mekong Film is how much impact the river has on the local population who actually depends on the river for daily life. Laos, being one of the poorest countries in the world, is in desperate need of an economic breakthrough that will launch their country into economic development. One of their solution was the construction of hydropower dams along the river. Although, it seemed like the ideal scenario at first, what I did not realise was the string of problems that come along with it. One of these problems was the Mekong’s aquatic life. The Mekong is home to many species of fish and other aquatic animals. The people who live along the river depend on the fish for food. The issue was so significant that whole subprojects were dedicated to preserve the natural migration of fish. In another instance, by the logic of economics, the people who live near the Theun-Hinboun dam should be happy that they are given houses, electricity, healthcare and overall, a higher standard of living for compensation of their home displacement. However, the problem lies within the immobility that occurs in the process of relocation. The people do not take adapting to a cash economy very well as their preferences are still deeply rooted in self-sufficiency rather than paying for everything.
Wonderful comment. You have noted the complexity of the issue. The effects to local livelihoods will be huge, no matter what. It is a very uncertain future for many people who have lived there for generations.
Delete6180922 Section 7
ReplyDeleteThe Mekong River is considered to be very valuable for countries in South East Asia. The river has played an important role for the locals who lives along the river. Locals and the country uses the river as a source of food, plantation and most importantly, power source. Despite the fact that the country of Laos is in big economical problems, the locals who lives along the river has been depending on the river to be able to live. By creating the dam, it has caused trouble to the farmers and fishers to relocate and have limitations on their work they had before. Fishes have problems with going upstream that lead to problems of the ecological side of the river because only a few types of fish can go up the ladder. Reallocation of the people around the river is necessary to the people because of the negative impact to the people who lives around the dam. Not only people that lives around the dam in Laos has this problem, people in Thailand (that lives off a branch out of the main river) and Cambodia who created a dam also has a huge impact on fishes and the people who lives around it. The affects of the damn has created a wall for fishes to go upstream and has caused some chemical problems down the line. The countries that created the dams seems to have both the economical and political influence in forcing them to make dams to make sure that there would be able to improve the economy of the country. The country decides to do dams because they feel like it seems to be the simplest way out to make their economy better.
Well done. You have noted many issues, especially for Laos and Cambodia who arguably depend on the river the most. The impact to the ecological system and the migration of fish is a major issue when discussing development of the region.
Delete6180006 Section 7
ReplyDeleteThe content that I knew more about Mekong river is that it is not just a border separating countries. It means more to the local. The change of Mekong river affect the people who used it. It is the main biodiversity hotspot in Southeast Asia. The Mekong is also used for transportation for the citizen.
The problem about the Mekong river is the decreasing amount of abundance. From the creation of several dams along the river cause the water’s flow rate decreased and cause the marine creatures facing a hard time living. The creation of dams is not only affect the wildlife, buy also the human. The citizen around the Mekong river have to move their house because of the creation of smell from the dam. With the less amount of water flowing in the river, less marine creatures decreased for the fisher to sell, causing the economic issue of the local citizen.
Good comment. Before damming, the flow and the flooding of the river was always predictable year to year to year. But now it is not, which has dramatically affected the lives of so many people downstream.
Delete#6180519 #section7
ReplyDeleteMekong River is the biggest river in Southeast Asia and in my opinion it is one of the most important river in the world. In fact i'm not a stranger to Mekong River. I think i can even call it a neighbor because my mother families are coming from northeastern region of Thailand and Mekong River is at the back of my grandma house and of course i have swim in it. And i also have saw how this river has effect the live of the local people. One of the effect is food in fact most of the fish the sold in local market are coming from Mekong River and people alway use water from the river to grow crops. Another effect is the effect on tourism because Mekong River is one of the popular tourist attraction of the northeastern region and it help with the local economy. The last effect i know is the effect on the local culture for example in some province there might be a celebration that related to Mekong River legend such as the legend of Naga Serpent Dragon.
After i watch the documentary its help expose me to various threats that Mekong River is facing right now. One of the threats that i learn is the threat to Mekong’s aquatic life. Mekong River is home to some unique fish species such as Irrawaddy dolphins and Mekong giant catfish which both of them has become endangered. Irrawaddy dolphins have become endangered mainly because climate change and the lost of habitats from the construction of many dam. Mekong giant catfish is also endanger because of the over fishing. Another threats that is really huge is the development of the hydroelectric power dam around the river. First i don’t really aware of how fast this dams have been develop around the river but i know the effects that these dams have on the river. Firstly, dam has destroy many marine life habitat causing them to be endanger and also decrease the number of food sources of local people. Second effect is deforestation and water pollution the cause by many dams construction that happen around Mekong region.
In conclusion, i am not a stranger to Mekong River but this documentary help me to become aware of the problems that the river is facing right now.
Good comment. I'm happy to learn about your memories in and around the river. This will surely give you special insight into how important the river is to people who live around it. And you will also learn about the issues that threaten the river, and therefore the people who live around it.
Delete6180634 - Section 7
ReplyDeleteMekong River is a mother river in most Southeast Asia countries. This incredible river consists of numerous species of fish, or even surprisingly, dolphins. I learned from the video that those dams are constructed at the Mekong River is to produce electricity. Yes, it is good that people think of using nature to produce electricity, however, this may affect people who depend on this river to continue their survival. The livelihood is the paramount concern for me.
First of all, the existence of those dams change people's lives into darkness. People who live nearby the river got affected by the dam, such as its smell, or flood around citizens' houses whenever the dam releases the water. They will also experience a lack of water supply where they have insufficient water to grow their crops. Moreover, with the help of dams, fishes may migrate, and fishes survive from human, but when fishermen get lesser fish than normal, which means lesser income, also means lesser supply in the market, and when lesser supply in the market, there will be an increasing of the price of fish, and eventually, fishermen get unemployed or dying of hunger.
Thailand did very good back there, held a protest to conserve the natural habitats in the Mekong River. Thailand's purpose of building dam is to tackle the poverty issue and enhance the economy of the country, however, the government just ignored the citizens' consent and let them suffer, which make citizens from rural area to become poverty at last. It's like going into circle.
In my opinion, I understand the role of government is to develop the country, but winning citizens hearts is golden. Government should care for people not only in the capital city, but both rural and urban areas; should give people equality. Governments also should not carry the term "selfish" which they think giving compensation would settle everything, but actually it is not like that; people's lives will change as well and will not be the same. There are still some alternatives for this actually, such as think of the new technology of solar energy. I am still not sure about the transparent dam, but my advice is that leave the nature alone.
I like this comment. I think you have caught an important point that development of the country so far has been uneven, and so we can see that people who live in the Mekong region are largely neglected. On the other hand, there is an argument for preserving local way of life and being worried about fast development in the region. Quite a complex debate.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete6180153
ReplyDeleteThe Mekong Riveflows through multiple asian countries and is considered the 12th longest river in the world. The lenght of the river is estimated at 4000 km, flowing through 6 countries. At which the river is home to countless of species as well 60 million people who have reside by the river due to the rich resources that the river provides. However, due to the ever-developing world, the river is now littered with infrastructure of the modern world which is seen to ruin thte habitat of people and animals. Since land is being bought, people are struggling to survive as seen when a women explains that "there is no space to make new rice paddies. And for the ones we have now, theres not enough water" showing signs of struggle for exisiting villages so thrive on such limited resources. At which, from the video i have learned that even though dams have beneficial factors, however the construction of dams and other infrastructure have harmed the ecosystem as well as people who have inhabitated the shores of the Mekong.
Good comment. You can see how complex the issue is. We want development, but we want to protect the environment and the livelihoods. Can we do both?
Delete6180642 Section 7
ReplyDeleteThe Mekong river is one of the longest river in the world which nearby countries,China, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, use this river to survive especially the group of people living near the river. They use the river for their benefits, such as jobs, food, and routine. This means that if investment for building dam is increased, people who live nearby will get a lot of negative effects like air pollution and water pollution. However, most of investors are not complain about the problem because they just focus on the profit that make a lot of money. Moreover, the main point is that some bank let the investor to loan the money for making dam for making the profit to their own company.
In my opinion, people need more moral to not affect the negative effects to the others. Furthermore, people have to think about how to maintain the world not destroying it.
Your opinion is clear. It is a very difficult issue as people try to find a way to balance development and economic progress with environmental and social effects. Very complex indeed.
Delete6180033 section 7
ReplyDeleteThe Mekong river runs from China to Vietnam and other bordering countries in Southeast Asia countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. It is considered as the longest river in Southeast Asia. Many people rely on the river including food, livelihoods, and security. They also believe that Mekong river will satisfy their living. However, the construction of the dam will damage people and fish in the river. People are harmed by the pollution and the hydrogen sulfide is released which caused the rotten eggs smell. Although the company gave them the money and houses for resetters but it brings them to the cash economy. They have to find for survival which is different from their old village. The film gives the clear arguments in each countries. These countries believe it harmed them. As seen in the film, people opposed to the idea of improving the dam. Citizens believe it harmed their living and animals in the river, but government think it is a good tool to achieve economic development. To sum up, building a dam harmed people's lives in many ways. In fishery, people catch less fish compared to in the past which make people have low income. In tourism, such as in Cambodia, it might harm the dolphin which is the second highlight of the country following by the Angkor Wat resulting in reduce of the country's income.
In my opinion, government should ask the citizens before building anything because they are part of the country. Both sides should agree to each other. Building a dam harmed people's lives in many ways but also benefit people because the dam generates electricity, but in present days people used too much electricity in daily basis. I think that people should aware of using it or using it wisely. The more we used, the more we harmed our people.
Thank you for the comment. When you suggest that governments ask the citizens first sounds like a very democratic idea. But the region is generally not democratic as you know. Something we will talk about in the course.
Delete6180930 section 7
ReplyDeleteFrom the Mekong river film, I learned that Mekong river is the most largest river in South-east Asia which it cross over 6 countries. This river seems to be one of the most significant river in the world because up to 60 million people rely onMekong river for their livelihoods, transportation, food sources and so on. And, it is full of natural resources and many kinds of fish. However, in the era of globalization, technology advancements have grown up rapidly. Mekong river is interested to use in hydropower improvement and several dams were generated across the river. Because of this improvement, it causes many environment issues such as fish death and coastal erosion, air and water pollution. These problems also effects many people who live nearby the river migrate to other areas. It seems obviously that the expansion of electricity and dams extremely damages marine life especially dolphins, natural resources, economic problems and citizens' living. In my opinion, I personally think that there will have other proper means to generate electicity and hydropower instead of environment damaging if the construction still continue our natural resources will no longer existed.
You have identified the debate. If not damming, what other means? What are the alternatives for the region that is working to develop so fast.
Delete6180614 sec7
ReplyDeleteMekong River is one of the most important factor of northern southeast Asia. It bring cultures, people, and jobs to people around the river. Due to the fact that Mekong River is the large river that link many countries together. Throughout the river line, life of people around the river usually share the same thoughts, and believes. Building dam on the Mekong River create a lot of bad effect on the river. It’s harm the water, animals, and also people surround the river. But for me, I think to make the country develop we need to sacrifice something to get a better future. I know that it have a huge effect on aqua life, but we can get around this problem by taking the significant aqua life into the aquarium and treat it nicely. After all the aquatic life are safe, the dam will give a very strong backbone for the country infrastructure and power to grow the country forward.
Many people will agree with you (and disagree with you too). The question is exactly that: How much are we willing to sacrifice for development in the region? Are we willing to let some species go extinct? Maybe the answer is yes?
Delete#6180913
ReplyDeleteMekong river is the longest river in the world where run from china to vietnam
#6180631 #Section 7
ReplyDeleteAfter I watched a documentary video about Mekong River(or Maenam Khong) on the blog, I learnt several facts about it, for instance, Mekong River is a trans-boundary river, which means a river that is connected with many countries, like Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. It is not the longest river in Asia as I knew, in fact, it is the seventh longest in Asia with an estimated length of 4,350 kilometres. The river has a negative and positive impact on animals and local people who live along the river. The good part is that people can make a living from the food supply, became a fisherman, since the river is the home of many marine animals. The river the long, so people from many counties can benefit from this method. However, in the early 1990s, China has started to build a dam in the river. This has increasing negative the life of the local. Many government and bank seek the opportunity the boost their economy and money. The bank makes money by loaning out money to build this expensive project. The construction creates air pollution that affects animal and people life and flooding problem the local’s houses. The dam makes money by it hydropower electric, which later can give a local people new house and healthcare service. To conclude, I believe that government should not build more dam. Million of life had already been suffering from the project.
Good comment. You have seen how so many countries have so many different interests. I can't think of another resource in the world that is shared by so many different countries/governments.
Delete6180070
ReplyDeleteAmong the six countires: including China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam: Mekong river is considered to be the largest river that connects those countires together. Mekong river or Mae Nam Kong is an essential location for many purposes. Up to 60 million individuals rely on this specific river for example, transportation, living area, food resource. Even some people use to opportunity of living near the river by being fishermen as a way to earn income. Mekong river is planning to be the source of hydropower by activating several dams. In result, it turned out unexpectly. The dams activation might be benefitial by making money from hydropower electric, yet many marine animals cannot adapt to the new habitat that has been changed due to the dams as well as air and water pollution. In my opion, the negative consequenses outweight the benefit. Therefore, the idea of constructing damns is absolutely a huge mistake. We can't recover the nature of the river that we have ruined.
Well, you may say a huge mistake, but it is happening, and it is happening more and more. This is the intense debate: What are we willing to sacrifice in order to develop what is a very poor region of the world?
Delete#6180990 #Section7
ReplyDeleteMekong river is one of the largest river along six countries, and this river has different species of fish. The main point of this video is about the effect of people who live around this river. To begin with, building dams in the Mekong river is able to affect fish in the river. Cambodians usually live around the river, and people who live around the river are fisherman. In other words, people’s livelihood depends on fish in the Mekong river. They always drive a boat to catch fish and sell in the market everyday. Moreover, if the government build a dam, it means that people will have more chance to lose their jobs. The rate of unemployment also increase rapidly. Additionally, if fish cannot swim in and out of the dam, fish tend to extinct quickly. In addition, building dams affect people’s crops. There are a lot of people who work in the fields. If the government build the dams, people’s fields will dry, and farmers will not gain any crops. In other words, many people work in their places since they were born. Consequently, if building dams affect people’s lives or products, they have to leave their cultures. People have to move to other provinces or houses.
In my opinion, one of the important issue is that building dams will affect living things, such as people and animals. People tend to lose their jobs and money if the government continues to build dams. Marine animals are able to died by eating and catching to fulfill people’s demands. However, if the government wants to build dams, they should make sure that it will not affect people’s livelihoods, such as limiting the area.
Good comment. I appreciate how you see how deep intertwined the river is with the lives of the people who live around it. When we talk about damming, we are talking about a transformation to the traditional livelihoods of the region.
DeleteGood comment. And you're right that Laos is one of the countries with the most to gain (or lose?) from the development of the Mekong. We will look at this in more detail during the course.
ReplyDeleteThe journal blog is now closed. Thank you for your participation. Aj. M
ReplyDelete#6180631 section7
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video, I disagree about the dam building concept across saraburi. It bad for environment, economy, and the people around the river. Since the construction create dusk and noise pollution to the local. No tourists want to visit a dusty beautiful river.
6180634 - Section 7
ReplyDeleteI still disagree on building dams on the Mekong river. It is true that Mekong River is the mother for people who depend on it as it supplies food, culture, and so on. Regarding 10 years policy on not building dams on this great river, I believe this is a very brilliant idea as within that 10 years, people, namely scientists or technology developers, are able to come up with some alternatives instead or using river to produce energy or whatever this river can provide for those companies which care merely their shareholders and green notes, but of course we all want to make money. However, other people, such as people in the video, they all depend on this mother river. With this 10 year policy, it would be a win-win solution where people will not lose job, and new technology pops up. Government only focus on the capital city the most, but still ignore the people who live along with this river. For China case, China thinks they are the power, they think they are a respected country, they think they can do whatever they want. China does not care what is going on outside of its country. Moreover, government or whoever want to build dams on the Mekong River, of course they will make money so easily, then, a girl in the first video quote that "Easy for make money, easy", which means for them, I can feel that it's very difficult for them to make money. Water flow will go differently, fish migration, water level will change, many things will also change people's lives. Fish also have family too where we don't see it's very important because people care only themselves. It is true who mentioned in the video about who will gain the benefits and who will lose the benefits. While government tackles poverty, it create another poverty. To conclude, if dams are built, this will not be the greatest, legendary Mekong River anymore.
I posted on the wrong blog. This should be in the second blog.
Delete