Environment and natural resources

The first four months of 2022 were some of the wettest in several years, the result of increased rainfall and China releasing more water from its upstream dams, according to monitoring data of the Mekong River Commission (MRC).These two factors combine to unleash greater flows ...

During a recent cabinet meeting, the government said it encouraged mining exploration by licensed mining companies to promote excavation and revenue derived from mineral exports. From 2021 to 2025, Laos is expected to produce mineral products valued at USD 7.832 billion, increasing by four percent from ...

According to images released on social media by a local resident, hundreds of trees in the Dong Hua Sao National Bio-Diversity Conservation Area have been cut down in preparation for cassava plantations. The Dong Hua Sao National Protected Area is located about 30 kilometers east of Pakse ...

Construction of the fifth Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge linking Borikhamxay province to Bueng Kan province in Thailand across the Mekong River is now 32 percent complete. The project consists of two components: the first concerns the construction of the bridge across the Mekong River and the ...

An irrigation scheme funded by Phase 2 of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Project has begun supplying water to boost crop yields for farming communities in Phongsaly province. The ceremony, which took place at the reservoir of the Level 6 Hydropower Station on the Ou River, marked ...

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) on Friday unveiled the first water-level monitoring station to be positioned atop the Lower Mekong River Basin. The station is part of a broader MRC plan to reduce vulnerability for millions of Southeast Asians whose lives and livelihoods downstream are ...

Almost a quarter of the waste found in Lao cities is plastic. Plastic waste is now found everywhere in the Lao environment, affecting fish catches, blocking drains, causing air pollution, and harming tourism destinations. The plan considers a “circular economy” approach to help achieve the ...

Smoke covered the skies in and around Xaythany District over the weekend, with residents complaining of the stench. Authorities have yet to make a statement regarding the fire, which is believed to have begun Saturday morning. The landfill site at KM 32 in Xaythany District, ...

Low water levels and a lack of sediment have affected the ecosystem and people’s livelihoods. Experts say the dams make the impact of periodic droughts in the Mekong basin worse and rob the river of the “pulse effect” that spreads water and nutrients that support ...

Luxembourg has provided EUR1 million (approx. USD1.13 million) in funding to the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to assist Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam to maintain the ecological functions of the Mekong River and strengthen resilience against climate risks, floods and droughts.The grant ...