The Mekong River has experienced increased dry season flow and reduced flood season flow under the impact of both climate change and water infrastructure development, a new study has found.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) and its upstream counterpart, the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center (LMC Water Center), presented their Phase 1 findings on Southeast Asia’s most important waterway at the 13th MRC Regional Stakeholders Forum last Thursday in Laos.

According to the report, “two key factors contribute to hydrological changes in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB): natural factors, including precipitation patterns, evaporation rates, soil properties and topography; and human activities, such as infrastructure development, water management, land cover and land-use changes. These two factors interact and influence the amount, timing and water distribution within the basin.”