Asia

Asia’s rich tapestry of cultures and unparalleled ethnic diversity are connected by important transboundary river basins, including the Mekong, Salween, Indus, and Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna. These rivers originate in the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, connecting ecosystems fed by glaciers and snowmelt to floodplains and major river deltas downstream.

They support rich biodiversity, and the food, livelihoods and cultural systems of the region’s people are intimately connected with their flows. Large dams, ill-conceived infrastructure projects and climate change threaten to wreak havoc on these systems.

Our Work

We work closely with local communities to protect these sacred, productive and biodiverse rivers. We seek to ensure that women, indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities have their voices heard and rights respected in the decisions that affect their lives, and we build movements to stop destructive projects and promote a just energy transition.

River Basins

Related Resources

Featured Resource

• State of Knowledge: Women and Rivers in the Mekong Region (2020).

Reports & Publications

• Reckless Endangerment: Assessing Responsibility for the Xe-Pain Namnoy Dam Collapse (2019)
• Free Flowing Rivers (2018)
• Framework for Transboundary EIA’s in South Asia (2017)

See all Publications

Factsheets

• Tragic Trade-Offs: The MRC Council Study and the Impacts of Hydropower Development on the Mekong (2019) (Also available in Thai, Lao, Khmer, and Vietnamese)
  
• Nam Theun 2 Hydropower Project: The Real Cost of a Controversial Dam (2010)

See all Factsheets

Featured Campaigns

• Nu River Campaign
• Mekong Mainstream Dams Campaign
• Transboundary Rivers of South Asia Campaign

Latest Updates

• 
  Salween communities file lawsuit to halt the Yuam/Salween Water Diversion ProjectOctober 18, 2023
  by Pianporn Deetes, Regional Campaigns Director, Southeast Asia Program October 18, 2023 – Over 80 people gathered at the Chiang Mai Administrative Court in Thailand today to mark the filing … Read more
• 
  Mekong River defender Niwat Roykaew wins awardOctober 16, 2023
  On Thursday, October 12, Mekong River defender Niwat Roykaew became the first Thai to receive the Leader on the Frontlines Award from the Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organisation … Read more
• Developing news: Controversial Pak Beng Dam on the Mekong hits major milestone, despite warnings of widespread damage to environment and peopleSeptember 25, 2023
  On September 13, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, signed a Power Purchase Agreement for the controversial Pak Beng Dam on the main stem of the Mekong River.  … Read more
• 
  The Future of Thailand’s Rivers is in the Hands of its Prime MinisterSeptember 25, 2023
  Originally published in the Bangkok Post by Pai Deetes, “Future of rivers in PM’s hands” In a speech to Parliament on 11 September, the new Thai Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisn, … Read more