VIENTIANE (Laotian Times): Japan has pledged up to JPY 424 million (over US$2.7 million) to improve water quality monitoring and management in the Lower Mekong Basin, working directly with the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
On 9 February in Vientiane, Japanese Ambassador Koizumi Tsutomu and MRC Secretariat Chief Executive Officer Busadee Santipitaks signed the agreement to launch the regional project covering Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The project will equip national agencies with modern water-testing tools, strengthen pollutant monitoring systems, and upgrade data collection and sharing mechanisms.
Likewise, it will also improve technical capacity and coordination among Mekong countries as industrial activity and urban growth increase across the region.
Mining, manufacturing, and rapid urban expansion have placed mounting pressure on the Mekong River in recent years.
Wastewater discharge and industrial runoff have affected water quality in several areas, threatening drinking water supplies, fisheries, agriculture, and tourism.
Through this initiative, Japan and the MRC aim to strengthen cross-border water governance and ensure that economic development does not undermine the long-term health of the Mekong River system.
Similarly, in March 2025, Japan and the MRC signed a grant for the Project for Strengthening Flood and Drought Risk Management in the Lower Mekong Basin, with Japan providing around JPY 725 million (about US$4.9 million) to improve early warning systems and coordinated responses to extreme hydrological events
In April 2024, Japan reaffirmed its support for Mekong flood and drought forecasting during a visit by its ambassador to the MRC Regional Flood and Drought Management Centre in Phnom Penh.
Under its 2021–2025 funding cycle, Japan has committed about USD 8.2 million to upgrade forecasting systems, improve flood mapping, and strengthen drought adaptation across the basin. -- Laotian Times
