The battle for the Mekong
Audio 19:30
The Xayaburi dam, 820 meters long, on the Mekong in Laos.
Handout / CK POWER / AFP
By: Carol Isoux
21 mins
In South-East Asia, it is called "the mother River", the Mekong, nourishing river, navigation axis and source of energy, crosses 6 countries: China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Almost 70 million people depend directly on it for their livelihood.
But, in recent years, its extraordinary biodiversity has been threatened by climate change, and especially by dozens of hydroelectric dams installed all along.
Publicity
The area, because it is strategic, becomes the object of clashes between regional powers and a new front line in the war between the United States and China.
"The battle for the Mekong", a large report by Carol Isoux.
(Replay of September 25, 2020)
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