19 November 2013: The Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) launched an interactive map of planned and active hydropower dams in the Mekong River Basin, at the 3rd Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Kim Geheb, CPWF, said the map presents the true scale of hydropower development in the Mekong region and forms a basis for dialogue. Data was drawn from several sources including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Mekong River Commission, the International Centre for Environmental Management, and International Rivers.

Discussion topics over the three days of the Forum included: community participation in resettlement, compensation, and grievance procedures; trans-boundary water management; benefit sharing in relation to hydropower; gender and safeguard policies; private sector policies for sustainability; alternatives to hydropower; managing reservoirs to increase food production; and tools for advancing sustainable hydropower. An underlying theme of discussions was how demands on water for food can be reconciled with demands on water for energy.

CPWF organized the Mekong Forum in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam and the Mekong Program on Water, Food and Resilience (M-POWER). CPWF is part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) research program on water, land and ecosystems, led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

The Forum is an annual event focused on strengthening dialogue and research on water, food and energy in the Mekong region. The 2013 Forum, from 19-21 November, brought together around 200 representatives of government, industry, civil society, and financial and research institutions. [CPWF Press Release] [Mekong Forum Programme] [Hydropower map] [CPWF Mekong website]