The Natural Environment
The Mekong River is the twelfth-longest river in the world. It is the longest river in the region and also the largest in terms of its volume. This river is of vital importance because it runs through Cambodia, Laos, and China. It also touches Thailand and Burma (Myanmar).
attempt to address the needs of its people. About 60 million people in Southeast Asia depend on the river for water, food, transportation, and other daily needs. To capture the water, more than 100 dams have been proposed for the river. China alone plans to construct eight dams on the upper Mekong, and others are planned for tributaries. Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia are also interested in building dams. Installations like these can produce important benefits such as hydroelectric power, but they also can severely affect other countries (including their wildlife) as the river flow below the dams dwindles. In northern Vietnam, the Red River, or Sông Hô` ng, is the major stream. The river’s name comes from red silt, colored by iron oxide, which imparts a reddish color to the water. The
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