Main content

The mighty Mekong’s last hope

A journey though Cambodia where the Mekong river which sustains millions of lives is feared to be in crisis. Is this region harnessing the river’s power – or are they killing it?

A journey though Cambodia where the Mekong river is feared to be in crisis.
Tens of millions of lives depend on the Mekong river for fishing and farming as it travels through China and Southeast Asia. But there are increasing signs that this river with one of the richest ecosystems on earth is being strangled. A cascade of dams, intensifying climate change, and sand dredging have scientists worried. Is this region harnessing the river’s power – or are they killing it?

For Assignment, Laura Bicker visits communities whose livelihoods rely on the Mekong and meets a new generation trying to breathe life into the dying river.

Presenter: Laura Bicker
Producer: Lindle Markwell
Editor: Penny Murphy
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

(Image: Mi Samai, a fisherman in Chong Khneas, Cambodia. Credit: ´óÏó´«Ã½/Thomas Cristofoletti)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 19 Nov 2023 16:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 16 Nov 2023 02:32GMT
  • Thu 16 Nov 2023 09:32GMT
  • Thu 16 Nov 2023 13:32GMT
  • Thu 16 Nov 2023 20:06GMT
  • Thu 16 Nov 2023 21:06GMT
  • Sat 18 Nov 2023 22:32GMT
  • Sun 19 Nov 2023 12:32GMT
  • Sun 19 Nov 2023 16:06GMT

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes