One of the world’s greatest rivers is under threat from unregulated activities in riparian countries, including dam construction, which disrupt the river’s flow and break down its food chains, experts cautioned. They said that if nothing is done to improve the situation, the livelihoods of more than 70 million people living along the Mekong River will be affected. For decades, experts have warned that the Mekong is no longer healthy due to dam construction in upstream riparian countries such as China and Laos that impacts its ecosystem. We need to do something urgently to rectify this situation, otherwise the Mekong ecosystem will be damaged beyond repair, Dr Thanapon Piman, research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute told The Myanmar Times on Wednesday. He pointed out that about 13 projects are already operating or are under construction by China in the Upper Mekong Basin. Recently, two large storage dams on the Lancang River are fully operational: the 4200-megawatt Xiaowan and the 5850MW Nuozhadu hydropower projects (holding 9800 million and 12,400 million cubic metres respectively). In the Lower Mekong Basin, there are about 73 projects operating and 29 projects under construction, including the Xayaburi (1260MW) and Donsahong (260MW) mainstream projects in Laos. Thanapon said that the Mekong’s water flows have been greatly modified due to the large dam construction that has affected seasonal and annual river flows or the Mekong flood pulse, with severe consequences for the deposits of nutrient-rich sediment, fisheries, and its food system. Evidence from recent monitoring by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) shows that after the Lancang dam cascades were built in China, sediment loads in the upper Mekong were reduced by 83 percent. Sediment-load reduction is happening faster and is larger than previously estimated. The negative impacts that were predicted are now upon us, and we need to urgently resolve these problems, Thanapon said, adding that further delay would have dire repercussions on this great river. The Mekong covers six countries, including China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, providing hydroelectricity and food security for the people living along the river. Philip Hirsch, professor of human geography at the University of Sydney, said that dam construction on the mainstream of the river should stop because everybody knows its negative environmental impact. He said that if current dam construction plans continue, 55 percent of the lower Mekong from Laos onward would become still water. It will be a reservoir, he said. Hirsch, who has studied the Mekong basin for decades, said the dams will have a so-called cascade effect on fishing and the river environment that will be long lasting. At the forum, representatives of the MRC urged all stakeholders to provide input and recommendations for the 3rd Mekong River Commission Summit from April 2-5, 2018. The MRC, with members from Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, is an intergovernmental organisation that oversees and manages the Mekong. More than 400 participants from over 100 institutions, including regional and international experts, are attending the three-day event. The 2017 Great Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy is designed to empower knowledge users government and development agencies, the private sector and research-for-development practitioners. The event is covering five major themes: water governance, river health, river food systems, healthy landscapes and ecosystems, and natural resources and peace. At the meeting on Wednesday, the environmental, social and economic systems of the Ayeyarwady River were discussed. This river is pivotal to the economy of Myanmar, so shared information and knowledge for informed decision-making are essential. In coming years, these decisions could benefit the Myanmar people. The forum is co-hosted by the Myanmar Environment Institute and the International Water Management Institute, and sponsored by Australia and the World Wildlife Fund.