Hydrological Impacts of the Vietnam War in the Mekong River Basin
Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend this presentation by Guillaume Lacombe, Hydrologist at the International Water Management Institute in Laos.
| When |
Dec 01, 2011 from 11:30 am to 01:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Where | LSRC A158 |
| Contact Name | Ryan Bartlett |
The Indochinese section of the Mekong Basin has been subjected to major environmental disturbances over the last half century. The Vietnam War is invoked as a central explanation for the extensive deforestation in specific areas while conflict-induced exoduses caused the abandonment of cultivated lands, followed by forest regeneration. Although the socio-economic and environmental consequences of these episodes have been studies, their hydrological impacts have remained unknown.
Lacombe will examine hydrological changes in two intermediary catchments of the lower Mekong Basin that were either heavily bombed (in southern Laos) or depopulated (in northern Laos). From 1995 onward, the northern and southern catchment's runoff productions are significantly lower and higher than in the pre-war conditions, respectively.
