Developing of operational framework for river health assessment in the Mekong River Basin (MK25)

Country: Thailand
Client: Hydro Informatics Institute
Donor: Royal Irrigation Department, Thailand 
Partners: DHI, Thailand

MK25 objective is to develop an indicator system to monitor and evaluate river health in the Mekong River Basin (MRB) and demonstrate its application in a selected catchment-the Songkhram (Thailand). River Health Indicators (RHIs) (and corresponding health assessments) in the MRB, and especially the study area, have traditionally been centered on river water quality parameters. However, other drivers of river health, such as catchment disturbance, hydrological changes, and riparian habitat conditions must be taken into consideration in developing a more complete RHI system. The project seeks to plug existing gaps by developing a holistic indicator system, using a systems-based approach, at two scales-catchment community.