<Nature and Our Future: The Mekong Basin and Japan>

1-5. The Mekong River and People’s Livelihoods
People and the River
The population of the Mekong River Basin exceeds 60 million. The population of the basin area inrespective countries is 5.2 million people in Laos, 23.1 million in Thailand, 13 million in Cambodia,
and 18.7 million in Vietnam1. Approximately 85% are agricultural communities (MRC 2010: 31-32).
Agriculture, fishing, and collection of aquatic life and vegetation are the main economic activities ofthe people in the basin, and about 62.6% of the working population in the region make their living
primarily from water resource related work (MRC 2010: 48).
The Mekong River not only supplies water for the region’s urban areas, it is also the source of water
for daily use in agricultural communities during the dry season. In villages along the river, almost all
drinking water, water for daily use, and water for agriculture depend on the river. The river is also
very important as a place for children to play.
When the water levels decrease in the dry season, theregion becomes very dry, and the river banks become
important places for farming. In addition, an importantsource of protein for agricultural communities is freshwater
fish that are caught in both the mainstream and tributaries,
as well as the wetlands and channels connected to them. At
present there are about 850 species of fish identified in theMekong River Basin, and most can be eaten. Aquatic life
forms, including fish and frogs, are people’s main sourceof protein, and are also an important source of income. If
seasonal labor and side businesses are included, 40 million people in the region are involved in theMekong River water system’s fishing industry. About 40% of the population of Cambodia depends on
the Tonle Sap Lake and the surrounding flood plain (MRC 2010: 49).
Rivers are also important transportation routes. It is not uncommon for people from multiple villages
on both sides of the river to be distant relatives. Previously, in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani Province,people living on the Thai side would do their swidden farming in the mountains of Laos. For them,
the river was not a national border so much as simply something to cross.

Spiritual Beliefs and Rivers
The Mekong River and other rivers in the region have a special spiritual significance for people as well.
In Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, Buddhist temples and monasteries, which are central to people’s
faith, are often constructed along riverbanks. During field studies, there are frequent opportunities
to hear many folktales. For example, in southern Laos it is said that there is a naga (a deity taking
the form of a snake) palace at the bottom of the Mekong River. It is believed that strong spirits livein rivers and at other special places, so it would be dangerous to launch fishing boats or to walk pastcertain locations without offering prayers2. Along the Dom Noi River in Thailand, which is a tributaryof the Mun River, which itself is a tributary of the Mekong, people ask the spirits for permission before
fishing. Also, in Thailand and Laos it is widely said that rivers are vestiges of fights between naga.
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Spirits are also said to reside in fish. In spite of its enormous size, very little is known about the lifeof the pla buk, the Mekong giant catfish, the world’s largest freshwater fish with adults weighing up
to 300kg. It is believed by Thai fishing communities, however, that the giant catfish lives according
to the Buddhist precepts and is holy because only moss and other vegetation have ever been found inits stomach. In northeast Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani Province, it is believed that when this fish iscaught in one’s net, it is very inauspicious. These fish can now be sold for a lot of money, but because
there is fear of losing one’s life for committing the sin of killing this fish of merit, the fishers carry out
a formal Buddhist memorial service after selling giant catfish.
The river is also a place of festivals. Every year, there is aboat race on the Mekong River and its tributaries around thetime the rainy season ends. Also in April, the Thai and Lao
New Year, people celebrate along the riverbanks by building
sand towers in the shape of Buddhist stupas. The ceremonies
carried out in the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang are
well known, but similar customs are also observed in lesserknown areas like the Mun River, a Mekong tributary innortheastern Thailand, and the Sekong River of Cambodia.

New River Uses
On the Bolaven Plateau of Laos, there is increasing use of small-scale hydropower generation using
small Chinese electric generators. These generators are sold at local markets, and the villagers
themselves can set up this simple and convenient apparatus if several households invest together about
USD200-300. A drop of 2 meters is sufficient to generate electricity. Thus, even without external aid,
villagers can use their own resources to attain and maintain electric power. In non-electrified villages
in Laos, some residents have set up battery charging businesses, giving birth to small-scale business.
References
Mekong River Commission (MRC). 2010. State of the Basin Report 2010.
http://www.mrcmekong.org/assets/Publications/basin-reports/MRC-SOB-report-2010full-report.pdf

Yuka Kiguchi

1. The population of the Chinese portion of the basin is unknown.
2. For example, the mouth of the Pak Kading River in Laos’s Khammouan Province.

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