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Mekong River issues, starting with the dams
What is reshaping the river, starting with the dams: how many there are, where they stand, and what they change for the people who live from the Mekong.
River issues: Mekong River stories
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Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh on Pexels
River issuesFourteen dams on the Mekong, and a river 4 meters higher in March at Luang Prabang
Twelve dams in operation on the Chinese stretch, two in Laos, more under construction: the Mekong has become a heavily dammed river. Here is what is known about their effects, with figures and sources.
Updated October 13, 2026 · 12 min
Understanding the Mekong
Our reference pages on the Mekong: its length, its source, the countries it crosses, its floods.