New Core River Monitoring Stations boost Mekong monitoring and analysis

Speaking at the inauguration, Chanthanet Boualapha, the Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Lao PDR and Alternate Council Member of Lao PDR highlighted the importance of this milestone, given that core river monitoring is essential to track hydrology, sediment, water quality, fishery health, and the overall ecology of the Lower Mekong Basin.

“During the recent rainy season, Laos faced impacts from tropical storms, particularly Typhoon Yagi, causing widespread flooding. However, the meteorological and hydrological stations within the MRC core river monitoring network, and other stations under our Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, played a key role in providing timely and scientific information for early warning and flood preparedness at flood risk areas,” Chanthanet emphasised. 

Over the past decade, monitoring efforts under the MRC have matured into an integrated core network, thanks to support from the MRC Member countries – Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam – and Development Partners. For the latest expansion, France, Japan, Germany, and the UK made specific contributions in terms of equipment and upgrades. French Ambassador to Laos Siv-Leng Chhuor; Nicole Stechmann, Chargée d'affaires of the German Embassy in Laos; Junya Nakano, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of Japan Embassy in Laos; and Matthew Phillips, First Secretary of the British Embassy to Thailand attended the event. 

Som Bouttakoun, Vice Governor of Champassak Province, underscored the local significance and ownership, stating: “Extension of the hydro-met network will contribute to disaster management at the provincial level, especially the preparedness of natural disasters.” 

With 62 meteorological and hydrological stations across the Lower Mekong Basin – 11 of which were added or upgraded this year – the network provides real-time data every 15 minutes. This includes water levels, rainfall, and quality indicators, transmitted to the MRC Secretariat and national agencies. Laos alone operates 22 of these stations, with five newly established in 2024, and also hosts 13 of the 45 automatic water quality monitoring stations. Equally important, the new monitoring stations will significantly enhance the MRC's ability to deliver timely, evidence-based insights into the Mekong’s conditions, especially climate changes and impacts of dam operation.  

MRC CEO Anoulak Kittikhoun stated, “The MRC will now be able to track and analyse multiple water parameters in real-time and how they affect one another. Development assistance becomes even more impactful when multiple partners align their efforts toward a shared goal.”