Mekong River Commission

Consistent with the format established in the Annual Flood Reports for 2006 and 2007, this 2008 document comprises the following major sections:

Chapters 2, 3, and 4 present the annual theme, which this year considers the benefits and costs of the annual Mekong flood. The aim is not in any way to provide an in depth economic assessment but rather to establish the fact that the regional benefits that accrue from the flood far exceed the losses and damage, which in the past have been the almost exclusive focus of attention.

Chapter 5 reviews the hydrological aspects of the flood season, which in 2008 witnessed extreme discharges and water levels in the northern areas of the Lower Mekong Basin between Vientiane/Nong Khai and the Chinese border.

Chapter 6 gives a brief summary of each of the four annual country reports, for Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Chapter 7 details the major lessons learnt over the year, and provides recommendations for improving the RFMMC’s flood forecasting system.