The mighty Mekong’s last hope

A journey though Cambodia where the Mekong river is feared to be in crisis.
Tens of millions of lives depend on the Mekong river for fishing and farming as it travels through China and Southeast Asia. But there are increasing signs that this river with one of the richest ecosystems on earth is being strangled. A cascade of dams, intensifying climate change, and sand dredging have scientists worried. Is this region harnessing the river’s power – or are they killing it?

For Assignment, Laura Bicker visits communities whose livelihoods rely on the Mekong and meets a new generation trying to breathe life into the dying river.

Presenter: Laura Bicker
Producer: Lindle Markwell
Editor: Penny Murphy
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman

(Image: Mi Samai, a fisherman in Chong Khneas, Cambodia. Credit: BBC/Thomas Cristofoletti)