BANGKOK: For nearly a decade now, people in the Mekong River Basin have had to deal with water shortages. So why has so little been done in response? It certainly seems reasonable to assume that the average citizen tends to ignore these issues until the day the taps run dry.
What is incomprehensible is that planning agencies like the Mekong River Commission (MRC) typically wait until the situation has reached crisis proportions before calling an emergency meeting to formulate a response. Such was the case last Wednesday when hydrologic experts from across the region gathered in Vietnam to discuss the fact that we humans are not in full control of the elements.
