Abstract
This chapter uses the results of the past two assessments of basin-wide water resource development scenarios to analyze potential benefits for economic development to meet the ambitious goal of the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) countries for poverty reduction and, at the same time, analyze risks of potential trans-boundary trade-offs which will require appropriate mechanism to be in place. The scenario assessment results present both opportunities and risks associated with different levels of water resource development in the Mekong countries and its implications of the water diplomacy for both Lower and Upper Mekong basin. Each of the scenario results presents the trans-boundary trade-off which requires appropriate skills, capacities of the LMB riparian countries, and water diplomacy to discuss and negotiate for the solutions. Finally, this chapter provides some suggestions and policy implications for sustainable water resource development in the Mekong region.
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Notes
- 1.
For further details, see Basist and Williams (2020).
- 2.
Three sub-scenarios for 2040 were developed to explore the interactions between water resources development and changes in climate. Comparisons between scenarios M3 and CC2, for instance, measure the effect of water resources development at the level of 2040 under a climate that is even wetter than mean projections.
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Acknowledgement
The authors express their gratitude to the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) for providing access to the results of its Council Study, basin-wide scenario assessment, and the most up-to-date information on Mekong water resources development and cooperation, as the basis of data/information to write the chapter on water resources development in the Mekong as part of the contribution of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) to Viet Nam’s 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship deliverable. Special thanks go to An Pich Hatda, the Chief Executive Officer of the MRCS, who granted us permission, made these documents available, and provided guidance on sensitivity and water politics in the Mekong countries. This chapter draws from a study originally published as an ERIA Discussion Paper (No. 339) in September 2020.
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Phoumin, H., Thu, T.M., Ly, T. (2022). Sustainable Water Resource Development in the Lower Mekong Basin: Synergies and Trade-Offs across Borders and Sectors. In: Antoniades, A., Antonarakis, A.S., Kempf, I. (eds) Financial Crises, Poverty and Environmental Sustainability: Challenges in the Context of the SDGs and Covid-19 Recovery. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87417-9_5
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