Synopsis

IEM’s Water Resources Technical Division (WRTD) will be organising knowledge sharing forum with The Mekong River Commission (MRC) which is the only inter-governmental organisation that works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam to jointly manage the shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekong RiverAs a regional facilitating and advisory body governed by water and environment ministers of the four countries, the MRC ensures the efficient and mutually beneficial development of the Mekong River while minimizing the potentially harmful effects on the people and the environment in the Lower Mekong Basin.

The MRC is a platform for water diplomacy and regional cooperation in which member states share the benefits of common water resources despite different national interests. It also acts as a regional knowledge hub on water resources management that helps to inform the decision-making process based on scientific evidence. The Mekong River Commission supports a basin-wide planning process based on principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).  The MRC looks across all sectors, including fisheries sustainability, identification of opportunities for agriculture, freedom of navigation, sustainable hydropower, flood management, preservation and conservation of important ecosystems. It also helps its member states face the future effects of more extreme floods, and prolonged drought and sea level rise associated with climate change. In providing its advice, the MRC aims at facilitating dialogue among governments, the private sector, and civil society.

On the day three a technical visit to Nam Ngum Dam will be organised. Nam Ngum Dam is situated 60 kilometers north of Vientiane on the Nam Ngum tributary of the Mekong River. It is a concrete gravity dam ( H=75 m, L = 470 m)  with a power station at the base and penstocks within the dam wall. It was the first hydropower dam built in Lao PDR. It was constructed in three stages, beginning in with stage I in 1968 and ending with the completion of stage III in 1984.The Mekong Commission first implemented the dam project as part of the national development plan. The project was mainly focused on harnessing Lao PDR’s hydropower potential, but it has also striven to achieve flood protection, implement lift irrigation, facilitate lake fishery, and develop Lao PDR’s tourism industry. The Nam Ngum Dam has a capacity of 155MW and generates most of Laos' electricity, including all the power used in the capital, Vientiane. The reservoir surface area at H.W.L is 370 km2 with Gross Storage Capacity of 7.03Billion m3 and Effective Storage Capacity of 4.7 Billion m3


Objective

Expose the members to the international water resource related project implementation and Management and practices.
Allow the members to have a face-to-face interaction with the Mekong River Commission team, which creates a platform for knowledge sharing and technology transfer between Malaysia and Indonesia engineers.
Strengthen ties between local and international water resources players and organisations. (IEM, MNC and local participants)


NOTE:
- The visit is strictly limited to only 30 participants registered on a first come, first served basis
- The registration fee is based on Single Occupancy, for Twin Sharing kindly contact IEM Secretariat.
- Registration for MANCID/NAAM Member, kindly contact IEM Secretariat.