Khmer Times –
Two international organisations have expressed concerns over water quality in the Sesan, Srepok and Sekong rivers which threatens the livelihood of about 3.4 million people in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam because of human activity and hydropower dam development.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Conservation International, in collaboration with the Cambodia National Mekong Committee, yesterday disseminated a report on the Freshwater Health Index, a new tool to assess freshwater ecosystem health in the Sesan, Srepok and Sekong rivers, which are major tributaries of the Mekong River.
The research and assessment on freshwater ecosystem health through the FHI device found that the water quality in the three basin systems was fairly good despite dam construction.
The basin’s ecosystem has faced increasing stress while investment in conservation and restoration remains very low, according to the report.