17 October 2024: Over the last 10 years, more than 100 large dams and water diversion projects have been planned or built on the Mekong mainstream and major tributaries. The rules governing use of the Mekong are codified in the Mekong Agreement, which established the Mekong River Commission (MRC). However, the MRC has faced limitations in providing a sufficiently strong legal basis to resolve differences over the Mekong. This is largely because whether a dam is submitted to the MRC’s Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA) is a sovereign decision; the MRC has no ability to force members countries to do so.
