The Mekong riverside in central Vientiane provides tourism-related opportunities for local residents.

Women in need of a predictable Mekong

A user-friendly flood and drought warning mobile application could be the key to empowering women in lower Mekong countries.

At a children’s playground on the Mekong riverside in central Vientiane, the manageress on duty looks every inch a professional businesswoman.
Wearing a smart black jacket and jeans, she sits at her duty station desk and gives a welcoming smile to customers who come to use the small funfair she operates and to advise them on the most suitable rides for their children and the food on offer.

Ms Kongdeuan stands in front of the small funfair she runs on the Mekong riverside in Vientiane.

“If we don’t provide good service, we will have no customers” 33-year-old playground owner Ms Kongdeuan Boutavong says when asked how she is managing to keep her business afloat after the site was unexpectedly flooded last year when the Mekong overflowed its banks.
“I lost more than 20 million kip (US$1,000) because of the last flood. With information that was easy to use and understand, I would know when a flood would occur and I would be in position to prevent losses,” said as she showed this visiting journalist the video clip and photos she took when the funfair was inundated in August 2023.
Most of the flooding in Laos occurs during the rainy season, which typically runs from May to mid-October. There are two distinct seasons in Laos, the wet and dry seasons. The dry season lasts from mid-October to April.
Ms Kongdeuan is one of many people who are calling for improvement of the flood and drought warning system through easily accessible information so they can be prepared for extreme incidents.
The authorities regularly update flood and drought warnings on several media platforms but many people find the information difficult to understand.
To help riverine communities cope with this challenge, with support from the United Kingdom and Japan, the Mekong River Commission is developing a mobile app to facilitate the sharing of information on flows in the Mekong so that people can get fast and reliable information before disaster strikes.
The Mekong River Commission, which monitors hydrological conditions in the river, has found that the flow patterns of the Mekong have changed over past decades, creating an opportunity for international cooperation to improve the flood and drought warning system in the region.
An Oxfam sponsored report highlights changes in the Mekong River that are posing serious harm to communities along the mighty waterway, especially among marginalised people, with women being the ones who suffer the most.
A Mekong hydrology specialist at the Stimson Centre, Mr Brian Eyler, also agreed that women were those most seriously affected by the changes in the Mekong.
Mr Eyler, who is also the Energy, Water, Sustainability Programme Director and Southeast Asia Programme Director at the Stimson Centre, added that those who are affected tend to be cash poor and rely on food and water derived from the river for their livelihood.
“Often the farmers tending their riverbank crops and the vendors selling their goods are women - and women fish too - so women in local communities can be severely affected by rapid changes in the river level.”
Recalling her experiences of the flood, Ms Kongdeuan said it was the longest and most exhausting day of her life.
“I didn’t sleep the night before the flood,” she said, adding that the continuing rainfall and the fast flow of the Mekong deeply concerned her and kept her awake.

The Mekong floods a children’s playground in Vientiane in August 2023.

In order to get information about the level of the river, Ms Kongdeuan said she had to turn to Facebook, which sometimes gives unreliable information.
She had to keep a close eye on the river level all night before deciding to remove essential playground equipment from the riverbank.
“When I saw that the flood was inevitable, I instructed my workers to relocate the equipment. They worked slowly and I had to help them but unfortunately we could not move it all before the water suddenly submerged the site,” she said.
Mekong offers business opportunities
Before building the playground and funfair by the river, Ms Kongdeuan managed a playground in central Vientiane. But when she realised that the riverside had become the main gathering place for locals and foreign tourists, she decided to seek permission to convert an area of wasteland next to Anouvong Park into a children’s playground.
“The Mekong riverside is the most scenic part of Vientiane. People love to walk along the riverbank in the evening and this was a good business opportunity for me,” she said.
But while the general environment is a positive, dealing with the prospect of flooding is a negative aspect of the location, she observed.
“I know it’s a risky business but I want to continue with it because this is what I love doing and it’s a part of my life,” she said.
Fighting to keep the job she loves
After inheriting the playground business from family members, Ms Kongdeuan said it had become a part of her life and she didn’t want to change jobs because she felt at home in this line of work.
“When I was younger, I helped my parents with this business and now that I’m older I feel that I have to run the show on behalf of my family,” she said, adding that she didn’t want to give it up and that reliable predictions about the flow of the Mekong would enable her business to flourish in the future.
Ms Kongdeuan said her parents felt that because she was a woman it was good that she ran a business that centred on children.
“In Lao culture, women are viewed as being good at taking care of children and general family wellbeing,” she said, adding that she had to take over the business to ensure the wellbeing of her family.
But being responsible for the family’s wellbeing and the operation of the playground is not an easy job and you have to be strong, she added.
“Unpredictable floods make my life more difficult and if you are not a strong woman you would not survive here,” she said, adding that strong winds sometimes also create problems for the funfair.
International community response
To mimimise the impacts of hydrological changes, Mr Eyler said the Stimson Centre issues warnings to help riparian communities so they are prepared for a change.
“Those warnings are delivered via Facebook 2-5 days before the sudden changes in river levels arrive at these communities. This gives local people time to harvest their farms and gardens, tie up their boats, and bring in their livestock so that these assets are not damaged or ruined,” he said.
The Mekong River Commission, which is mandated to ensure sustainable development of the Mekong River, says it is working closely with the relevant bodies to share hydrological data so that it can be used to improve drought and flood warnings.
Need for a predictable Mekong
Ms Kongdeuan said the improved flood and drought warning system would help women like her to continue what they enjoy doing as well as maintain an essential livelihood.
“What I need most is an effective flood warning system. This means that the warning must be 100 percent accurate,” she said, adding that if the warning was inaccurate she would suffer financial losses.
“It doesn’t make sense if I have to shut up shop temporarily because of a flood warning and then the flood never occurs,” she said wryly, adding that this would cause her more loss than gain.
She agreed that improved coordination among the Mekong nations would help bring sustainable development to Mekong communities which would liberate women from suffering due to intensified development and climate change around the river.
This article has been funded by a grant under a project by Internews on Reporting on Mekong Water Governance from a Gender and Social Inclusion Lens.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
 (Latest Update January 22, 2024)