| The world's most important effort in international river basin planning has been carried out in the Lower Mekong Basin of Southeast Asia. Coordinated planning of water resource development in the basin has been the responsibility of the United Nations-sponsored Mekong Committee, established in 1957. Original member nations of the Committee were Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Committee has made an impressive list of contributions to regional water development in spite of several constraints on its work program (e.g., Vietnam War, erratic international funding, differing opinions of member nations regarding development). An emerging problem which may greatly affect the Mekong Committee is regional climate change resulting from human-induced global warming. The study canvasses the potential roles the Mekong Committee might play in helping Lower Mekong inhabitants adjust to climatic change. In doing so, the historical record of the Committee is reviewed in terms of their contributions in addressing climate-related problems, such as floods and salinity intrusion. The changing context in which the Committee has operated is an important part of this record, as it has both enabled and constrained Committee activities. The Committee's historical roles in promoting development suggest that their future roles in addressing climatic change will likely be in the areas of data gathering and dissemination, small-scale structural measures, and flood and low-flow forecasting. These sub-programs have been important to many Lower Basin inhabitants and are critical to sound river basin planning. In a broader sense, the Committee's ability to operate in the face of numerous disturbances suggests a high degree of institutional resiliency. This thesis argues that the Committee's ability to withstand several shocks to its work program will allow it to better adjust to future changes, including climate change. |
