1. 1 Mekong Resources, Benefits to people, and Planning Issues session 1 : The Mekong and its water resources

2. 2 Module Objective Participants can identify Mekong water/ relate resources, current benefits to basin peoples, potentials for future development, and able to define key issues for planning water resources development.

3. 3 “..the Mekong River Basin and the related natural resources and environment are natural assets of immense value…” 1995 Agreement

4. 4 China Myanmar Laos Thailand Cambodia Viet Nam Discharge: 475 km 3 / year Area: 795,000 km 2 Mekong River Basin Upper Basin Lower Basin Murray-Darling Discharge: 12.6 km 3 / year Area: 1,073,000 km 2

5. 5 Mekong River Basin Upper Mekong Basin (UMB) 18 % of total flow (China 16% & Myanmar 2%) Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) 625,000 km2 82 % total flows Cambodia – 18% Lao PDR – 35% Thailand – 18% Viet Nam – 11%

6. 6 MRB water resource Description ChinaMyaLaoThaiCamV/NTotal Catchment (Km 2 ) 165,00024,000202,000184,000155,00065,000795,000 % of Basin 22%3%25%23%19%8% % of country 4%97%36%86%20% Average Flow (m 3 /s) 2,4103005,2702,5602,8601,66015,060 Percentage 16%2%35%18% 11%

7. 7 Main regions in the Mekong

8. 8 Main regions Upper Mekong Basin Mekong River Basin For most of its length, it flows Through narrow valleys in the Mountain in China. Upper Basin is narrow, with few tributaries And gives 18% of the total flow

9. 9 Manwan and Dachaoshan dams, Feb 2003 20 km

10. 10 Main regions Upper Mekong Basin Lower Mekong basin Highlands Mekong River Basin

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13. 13 Mekong River Basin Main regions Upper Mekong Basin Lower Mekong Highlands Central/Isan Plateau

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15. 15 Mekong River Basin Main regions Upper Mekong Basin Highlands Central / Isan Plateau Cambodian plain and Great Lake

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17. 17 Mekong River Basin Main regions Upper Mekong Basin Highlands Isan Plateau Cambodian plain and Great Lake Delta

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19. Longitudinal river profile of the Mekong River from source to delta Vertical drop in the river is about 4,500m in China; the river drops only about 500m over the remaining 2,600km to the South China Sea.