The Mekong Doesn't Need Another Dam. It Needs a Basin Authority With Teeth.
Eleven mainstem dams later, the Mekong River Commission still can't stop a single project. That has to change.
The River Nobody Governs
The Mekong feeds 65 million people. It is governed by a commission that can issue "prior consultation" and nothing else.
What we've learned
- Sediment loads at Chiang Saen are down over 80% from pre-dam baselines. - The Tonle Sap flood pulse — the engine of Cambodia's fisheries — has weakened measurably every year since 2019. - Chinese cascade dams control dry-season flow. Downstream states get advance notice as a courtesy, not a right.
What a real authority looks like
Enforceable environmental impact standards. Compensation mechanisms across borders. A voting structure that includes China, not just observes it.
Why it hasn't happened
Because it would require a country to give up sovereignty over a river it treats as a domestic resource. Every country. Which is exactly what a basin authority is for.
The alternative is watching the world's largest inland fishery collapse in slow motion. That alternative is now well underway.
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