Water resource uses and potential impact of hydropower development: Case study from northeast Cambodia

The overall objectives of the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) Mekong Project 2, Assessing the Value of Water, are to assess the value of the various uses of water and to estimate costs and benefits associated with different water management strategies. We quantitatively assessed the value of water resources and water bodies for local livelihoods. We also analyzed the linkages between human impacts on the water resource itself (in this case, development of water storage infrastructure (WSI) for hydropower generation purposes) and the consequences of changes to water resources on the values of locals and on local livelihoods that are derived by water resources. Parallel studies have been conducted in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam.