Songkhram River

The Songkhram River (Thai: แม่น้ำสงคราม, RTGS: maenam songkhram, pronounced [mɛ̂ː.náːm sǒŋ.kʰrāːm]) is a tributary of the Mekong River. It originates in the hills between Nong Han District, Udon Thani Province and Sawang Daen Din District, Sakon Nakhon Province. It flows through Seka District (Nong Khai Province), Wanon Niwat (Sakon Nakhon Province), and Si Songkhram District and empties into the Mekong River in tambon Chai Buri, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom Province. It is 420 kilometres (260 mi) long.

Songkhram River
Native nameแม่น้ำสงคราม  (Thai)
Location
CountryThailand
ProvincesUdon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom
Physical characteristics
MouthMekong River
 • location
Chai Buri subdistrict, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom Province
 • coordinates
17.652°N 104.465°E / 17.652; 104.465
Length420 kilometres (260 mi)
Official nameLower Songkhram River
Designated15 May 2019
Reference no.2420[1]

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.[2]

Wildlife

The lower Songkhram River basin provides habitat for 192 species of fish, 136 species of birds, and 208 plant species.[2]

Ramsar designation

Since 2019 the lower river basin has been designated as a protected Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance,[1] as a result of the combined efforts of local governments, HSBC-Thailand, the National Environmental Policy Office (NEPO), and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Thailand (WWF).[2][3]

This Ramsar site, Thailand's 15th, protects a 92-kilometre stretch of the Songkhram River and 34,000 rai (5,440 hectares) of basin. Over 240,000 people and 49 communities are estimated to benefit from the designation.[2]

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.[3]

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References
  1. "Lower Songkhram River". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  2. "Thailand's last untouched Mekong tributary". The Nation. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  3. Blake, David J H (25 July 2019). "Damming Isan's last river for cash" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 25 July 2019.

Further reading
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