Mining the Mekong: Land and livelihoods lost to Cambodia’s thirst for sand – MONGABAY

Mekong River to Cu Lao Gieng (January) Island (by Ted Mcgrath CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 via Flickr)

“We would argue that sand mining is having as big, if not a bigger impact on the delta and Cambodian reaches. It’s been shown to be the biggest driver of saline intrusion in the delta, and resulting in enhanced bank erosion more so than hydropower,”

– Chris Hackney (University of Newcastle), Julian Leyland and Steve Darby (University of Southampton)