Efforts of Coordinating Joint Development of Hydropower Projects Within the Salween Basin
| Geolocation: | 23° 41' 43.6214", 98° 49' 42.4409" |
|---|---|
| Total Population | 66,000,000 millionmillion |
| Total Area | 320,000320,000 km² 123,552 mi² km2 |
| Climate Descriptors | Moist tropical (Köppen A-type), Humid mid-latitude (Köppen C-type), Continental (Köppen D-type), Moist, Monsoon |
| Predominent Land Use Descriptors | agricultural- cropland and pasture, industrial use, forest land, urban, urban- high density |
| Important Uses of Water | Agriculture or Irrigation, Fisheries - wild, Fisheries - farmed, Hydropower Generation, Livestock |
Contents
Summary
The Salween River (known as the Nu in Chinese) originates in the Tibetan plateau and drains an area of 320,000 km2 in China, Myanmar, and Thailand before it flows into the Gulf of Martaban. Totaling 2,413 kilometers, it is the longest undammed river in mainland Southeast Asia. More than 10 million people from at least 13 different ethnic groups depend on the Salween watershed for their livelihoods: fisheries are a major source of dietary protein, and the river's nutrients nourish vegetable gardens in the dry season and fertilize farmland. Despite the fact that studies since the 1950s have identified tremendous hydropower potential, the Salween is a relatively undeveloped basin-with only one major hydro-electric project at Baluchaung. However, it is likely that with economic development and more political integration in the region, development pressure in the river basin will increase, and there will be more demands to use the waters for irrigation, urban and industrial uses, and navigation. China, Myanmar, and Thailand do not yet have an agreement on the use of the Salween, thus allowing each of them free use of the river. Each of these countries has unilateral plans to construct dams and development projects along the Salween, but these sets of plans are not compatible.
Natural, Historic, Economic, Regional, and Political Framework
Figure 1. Map of the Salween River Basin. [1]
Analysis, Synthesis, and Insight
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Learn moreASI:Joint Hydropower in the Salween Basin: insights from the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database
Contributed by: Aaron T. Wolf, Joshua T. Newton, Matthew Pritchard (last edit: 12 February 2013)
- ^ Product of the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database, Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University. Additional information about the TFDD can be found at: http://www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu.
