http://www.buddeblog.com.au/will-the-mekong-break-its-banks-and-flood-vientiane/ From Paul's Desk Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:38:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 http://www.buddeblog.com.au/will-the-mekong-break-its-banks-and-flood-vientiane/#comment-86337 James Venables Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:34:47 +0000 http://www.buddeblog.com.au/?p=218#comment-86337 I also live in Vientiane and for the last 5 years I have been watching with amazement, the stupidity of the Lao government in allowing landfill and development projects on the natural wetlands into which the stormwater normally drains. The current flooding comes as no surprise at all. Obviously, higher than usual monsoonal rainfall is the root of the problem but the government's blind ignorance of planning (in preference to lining their pockets with bribes and handouts from Chinese and Vietnamese developers) can only continue to exacerbate the problems. I also live in Vientiane and for the last 5 years I have been watching with amazement, the stupidity of the Lao government in allowing landfill and development projects on the natural wetlands into which the stormwater normally drains. The current flooding comes as no surprise at all. Obviously, higher than usual monsoonal rainfall is the root of the problem but the government’s blind ignorance of planning (in preference to lining their pockets with bribes and handouts from Chinese and Vietnamese developers) can only continue to exacerbate the problems.

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