The MRC Basin Development Plan Regional Sector Overviews BDP Library Volume 14 November 2002 Revised September 2005 Mekong River Commission BDP The MRC Basin Development Plan Regional sector overviews BDP Library Volume 14 November 2002, revised September 2005 Mekong River Commission Foreword The BDP Library was compiled towards the end of Phase 1 of the BDP Programme. It provides an overview of the BDP formulation, together with information about the planning process and its knowledge base, tools and routines. The library incorporates the essence of more than a hundred technical reports, working papers and other documents. It consists of 15 volumes: 1 The BDP planning process 2 Sub-area analysis and transboundary planning 3 Sub-area studies (including 13 sub – volumes) 4 Scenarios for strategic planning 5 Stakeholder participation 6 Data system and knowledge base 7 MRCS Decision Support Framework (DSF) and BDP applications 8 Economic valuation of water resources (RAM applications) 9 Social and environmental issues and assessments (SIA, SEA) 10 IWRM strategy for the Lower Mekong Basin 11 Monographs. March 2005 12 Project implementation and quality plan 13 National sector reviews 14 Regional sector overviews 15 Training The work was carried out jointly by MRC and the NMCs with comprehensive support and active participation by all MRC programmes and more than 200 national line agencies. Financial and technical support was kindly granted by Australia, Denmark, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland. The library has been produced for the purpose of the BDP and is intended for use within the BDP Programme. The work was done from 2002 to 2005, and some information may already have been superseded by new developments and new knowledge. The library does not reflect the opinions of MRC nor the NMCs. It is hoped that the work will contribute to the sustainable development of water resources and water- related resources in support of the MRC vision of 'an economically prosperous, socially just and environmentally sound Mekong River Basin'. Contents Acronyms and abbreviations ......................................................................................................................................vi Acknowledgement.......................................................................................................................................................vii The MRC BDP Team................................................................................................................................................viii Executive Summary .....................................................................................................................................................ix 1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 Origin of document...............................................................................................................................1 1.2 Basis and context ...................................................................................................................................2 1.3 Significance .............................................................................................................................................3 2 Summary of approach .........................................................................................................................................4 3 Agriculture and irrigation...................................................................................................................................5 3.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................................6 3.2 Economic significance ..........................................................................................................................7 3.3 Land use in the Lower Mekong Basin..............................................................................................10 3.4 Agricultural methods and production ..............................................................................................14 3.4.7 Fish in the rice fields ...........................................................................................................................32 3.5 Agriculture and the environment ......................................................................................................33 3.5.4 Acid sulphate soils ...............................................................................................................................35 3.6 Social aspects of agriculture ...............................................................................................................36 3.7 Institutional factors affecting agriculture .........................................................................................37 3.7.3 Agricultural market issues...................................................................................................................41 3.8 Indicators for monitoring the agriculture sector.............................................................................43 4 Fisheries...............................................................................................................................................................45 4.1 Economic and social value.................................................................................................................46 4.2 Ecological requirements for sustainable fisheries...........................................................................46 4.3 Consumption, marketing and processing ........................................................................................48 4.4 Aquaculture...........................................................................................................................................49 4.5 Threats to fisheries resources.............................................................................................................50 4.6 Trends: Supply, demand and management issues ..........................................................................51 4.7 Information gaps and needs for the BDP .......................................................................................52 5 Hydropower........................................................................................................................................................55 5.1 The state of hydropower development in the Mekong basin.......................................................56 5.2 The power sector in Thailand............................................................................................................59 5.3 The power sector in Lao PDR...........................................................................................................62 5.4 The power sector in Cambodia .........................................................................................................72 5.5 The power sector in Viet Nam..........................................................................................................74 5.6 Hydropower development in Yunnan..............................................................................................78 5.7 Interconnections ..................................................................................................................................80 5.8 Dams in the Se San and Sre Pok Basins...........................................................................................87 6 Navigation...........................................................................................................................................................89 6.1 Summary................................................................................................................................................90 i 6.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................................91 6.2 Importance of inland waterway transport in LMB member countries .......................................91 6.3 River navigation conditions ...............................................................................................................96 6.4 Inland ports and intermodal connections........................................................................................97 6.5 Growth and composition of inland waterway vessel fleets ........................................................100 6.6 IWT traffic and modal share analysis .............................................................................................101 6.7 Government transport policies and IWT development..............................................................103 6.8 Support by international agencies for transport network improvement in the LMB.............104 6.9 Potential for operational linkage of IWT with other transport modes.....................................106 6.10 Potential for increased international navigation ...........................................................................107 6.11 Navigation and the environment ....................................................................................................108 6.12 Critical issues requiring resolution ..................................................................................................109 7 Tourism