Mekong River
The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth longest river and the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annuall ...
. It originates in the hills between
Nong Han District
Nong Han (, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') of Udon Thani province, northeastern Thailand.
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise) Chai Wan, Ku Kaeo, Prachaksinlapakhom, Mueang Udon Thani, Phibun Rak and Thung Fon of Udo ...
,
Udon Thani Province
Udon Thani province ( th, อุดรธานี, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') which lies in Isan#Administrative divisions, upper northeastern Thailand, also called Isan. It is bordered by the provinces of Nong K ...
Nong Khai Province
Nong Khai province ( th, หนองคาย, ) was formerly the northernmost of the Isan, northeastern (Isan) Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand until its eight eastern districts were split off to form Thailand's newes ...
Si Songkhram District
Si Songkhram ( th, ศรีสงคราม, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') in Nakhon Phanom province in northeast Thailand.
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise): Na Thom, Ban Phaeng, Tha Uthen, Phon Sawan, and ...
and empties into the Mekong River in ''tambon'' Chai Buri,
Tha Uthen District
Tha Uthen ( th, ท่าอุเทน, ) is a district ('' amphoe'') of Nakhon Phanom province, northeastern Thailand.
Geography
Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise) Mueang Nakhon Phanom, Phon Sawan, Si Songkhram, and Ban ...
, Nakhon Phanom Province. It is long.
The Songkhram is one of the more important but lesser known rivers in Thailand's northeast. It is the last Mekong tributary in Thailand free of developments blocking river flow. Fish can swim freely into the Songkhram River from the Mekong and use it as a spawning ground. This replenishes the fish stocks that are an indispensable food source for inhabitants of the Mekong region.
Wildlife
The lower Songkhram River basin provides habitat for 192 species of fish, 136 species of birds, and 208 plant species.
Ramsar designation
Since 2019 the lower river basin has been designated as a protected
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...
on Wetlands of International Importance, as a result of the combined efforts of local governments,
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...
-Thailand, the National Environmental Policy Office (NEPO), and the
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
-Thailand (WWF).
This Ramsar site, Thailand's 15th, protects a 92-kilometre stretch of the Songkhram River and 34,000
rai
RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
(5,440 hectares) of basin. Over 240,000 people and 49 communities are estimated to benefit from the designation.
Dam plans
For almost four decades, governmental organisations and investors have pushed for a dam on the river. Every effort has been beaten back by civil society groups. In 2019 the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) is again moving to build a "watergate" on the river in Tha Uthen District of Nakhon Phanom as part of its Khong-Loei-Chi-Mun (KLCM) irrigation project.