Songkhram River is a little-known tributary of the Mekong River. Yet staying under the radar has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for the placid 420km river has been left untouched from development projects such as dams and major construction. Compared to other waterways in the northeastern region such as the Chi and Mun rivers, which are straddled by dams, the Songkhram -- known as a source of delicious freshwater fish -- is the only tributary of the Mekong which runs free and unobstructed.
To make sure the Songkhram River will remain as such, the conservation project "The Conservation of the Lower Songkhram River" was launched two years ago to campaign for the river basin to be listed as an internationally-recognised significant wetland area under the Ramsar Convention. Wetlands are known to be crucial in terms of ecology, ensuring biodiversity and serving as breeding grounds for fish. They also help replenish water to the rivers.
In this project, 30,000 rai land of wetland in the lower Songkhram River, mostly in Sri Songkhram district in Nakhon Phanom province, will be proposed as a Ramsar site. Thirty-nine villages with over 23,000 inhabitants are involved in the project, which is run by WWF Thailand with financial support from HSBC. Starting in 2014, the project has received 30 million baht from the bank, which sponsors it as part of its CSR programme.
"This project serves as a good example of co-operation among the business sector, conservationists and local people. But I am so impressed to see local people become so engaged and work for themselves. The project shows that real sustainability must come from local villagers helping themselves," said Kevin Tan, CEO of HSBC (Thailand).
During the past three years, WWF has helped train hundreds of people in the 39 villages to protect rivers and ecology, such as monitoring water quality and creating natural fish spawning areas. The conservation scheme is not limited to only the river area. Villagers are trained to protect related ecology such as planting more trees and making organic fertiliser to reduce toxic wastewater from farms.
Nakhon Phanom Provincial Administration has agreed to officially nominate the lower Songkhram River basin to be a Ramsar site. The provincial authority will submit the proposal to the cabinet next month.
If the nomination is approved, the government will send the proposal to the Ramsar Convention Secretariat in Switzerland sometime this year. If the Ramsar Convention Secretariat agrees, the lower basin will become the 15th Ramsar site in Thailand. So far, there are 169 member countries in the Ramsar treaty, with 2,200 wetlands registered around the world.
Ramsar status is perceived as a safeguard, a shield that protects the ecology of wetlands from development projects or activity that will undermine the integrity of the ecological system.
Suparerk Chanamarn, a local villager from Baan Pak Oon, Sri Songkhram district in Nakhon Phanom province, believes the status will prevent the river's ecology from unsustainable development.
Despite the river remaining calm and clear, villagers have witnessed changes during the last decades. Flow and levels of water should gradually and imperceptibly change every few months. After China started building a series of dams on the upper Mekong -- known as inland Lancang River -- tides have drastically changed. Water flow in the Mekong River is dictated by discharge from dams.
"The river has changed in the past decade. Water tide ebbs and flows abruptly as if the river turns out into the rough sea," said Suparerk, also headman of Baan Pak Oon.
That affects the ecology of the river, especially fish migration and egg spawning. Usually, fish from the Mekong River and even Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia will migrate to the Songkhram to lay eggs in March -- when the waters become steady. But water levels eerily "rise and fall" in a matter of weeks.
"Fish are no longer able to lay eggs and reproduce the same way they used to," Suparerk said. The fish catch in the Songkhram has reduced drastically, more than a half in the last decade.
The mercurial and rough tides in the Songkhram River reflect the ongoing and collective ecological woes of the Mekong River. The change started over a decade ago when China started building a cascade of hydro-dams on the upper Mekong. But not only China is responsible.
In 2003, Thai authorities blasted stone reefs -- known as fertile fish breeding grounds -- to widen shipping navigation routes for vessels from China to transport goods to Chiang Rai, the Golden Triangle and Luang Prabang in Laos.
Since then, the river flow has changed. Villagers in Chiang Rai who live along the Mekong reportedly complained of river bank erosion. Eleven more dams are expected to be built in lower Mekong, mainly in Laos, including the controversial US$3.5 billion Xayaburi Dam that will be the first dam that blocks the lower Mekong. Laos, a landlocked country, is planning to build the Don Sahong Dam in a tributary of the Mekong.
Located in the Siphandone (Khone Falls) area of southern Laos, less than 2km upstream from the Laos-Cambodia border, the dam would block the main channel passable year-round by fish migrating between Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Dam construction along the Mekong has drawn worldwide attention and raises questions over the ecological impact.
As the future of the Mekong looks bleak, the destiny of the Songkhram River and related basins might be better when the area is registered as a Ramsar site. With this status, infrastructure and development projects such as dams, river embankments and sand dredging need to pass environmental impact assessments.
"The ecology of the Songkhram River is crucial to the future of the Mekong River. Songkhram River is now the only help supplying freshwater and serving as a breeding ground for fish in the Mekong," said Yanyong Sricharoen, project manager of the Lower Songkram River Management and head of Water Conservation for WWF Thailand.
The ecology of the Songkhram River is full of wonder. Fish caught in the river fetch a good price. Villagers believe these fish eat salty earth in the river basin. During flood season, water might come as far as 2km inland, flooding 100,000 rai of land and creating the unique Pah Boong Pah Tarm forest. This wetland area on the lower Songkhram River is the biggest in the northeastern area. Wetland plays a large role in controlling water in the river.
"River ecology does not only provide fish and water. Pah Boong Pah Tarm forest also provides mushrooms and edible plants for villagers. This wetland forest serves as a refrigerator that supplies food for villagers, free of charge," said Yanyong.
Fish from Songkhram River.
The wetland area on the Lower Songkhram River is the biggest in the northeastern region.
