Mekong River Commission (MRC)delays flood warning app amid criticism over acccessibility
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has postponed the release of its much-anticipated “One Mekong” app, which was designed to provide flood warnings and AI-generated weather updates to millions living along Southeast Asia’s longest river.
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has postponed the release of its much-anticipated “One Mekong” app, which was designed to provide flood warnings and AI-generated weather updates to millions living along Southeast Asia’s longest river. Initially slated for release in July-August, the app’s launch has been pushed back indefinitely following concerns over its practicality for grassroots communities without internet access or smartphones.
The delay comes as a setback for the MRC, which had heavily promoted the app in June, positioning it as a key tool to enhance disaster preparedness in the region. According to MRC spokesperson Meas Sopheak, the decision to delay was made after receiving significant feedback from member countries and communities. “Given the number of feedback from communities and member countries that we had received, the scheduled release is delayed to ensure we tackle as much feedback as possible,” Sopheak said in an email to Radio Free Asia.
However, the commission did not specify a new release date, raising questions about the future of the project, particularly as the MRC faces funding cuts from foreign donors, which have historically been its main financial lifeline.
The delay is particularly notable given the recent flooding in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand—MRC’s four member nations—caused by Typhoon Yagi and heavy seasonal rains. Many had hoped the app would provide real-time alerts to residents of these flood-prone areas, offering AI-driven weather reports, disaster simulations, and push notifications in local languages.
Santi Baran, an MRC executive overseeing the app’s development, described its capabilities at the app’s soft launch in June, saying it would deliver “push notifications and alerts for flood, drought, weather, and disaster warnings” and include features like live CCTV from river monitoring stations and a chatbot called Nong Nam to answer weather-related questions. While the interface was previewed in English, the app’s push notifications were intended to be available in Thai, Lao, Vietnamese, and Khmer.
Also Read:Resignation rocks Adams administration amid federal investigation
Despite the ambitious vision for the app, its practicality for underserved communities remains a pressing concern. Following the soft launch, a Cambodian official reportedly questioned how useful the app would be for people in rural areas without access to the internet or smartphones, a criticism that may have contributed to the decision to delay the release.
This setback highlights broader challenges for the MRC, which has long been criticized as ineffective in managing the shared resources of the Mekong River, a vital lifeline for millions of people in Southeast Asia. Critics argue that member nations have prioritized their own economic interests, particularly in the development of hydropower dams, at the expense of the region’s ecological health. Laos, for example, has continued to build controversial hydropower dams despite objections from neighboring countries over the impact on fisheries and sediment flow.
The commission, established in 1995 under the Mekong River Agreement, has also struggled with diminishing financial support from international donors. Denmark, historically its largest donor, withdrew funding in 2015 after a review criticized the commission’s effectiveness. In 2022, the MRC’s funding stood at nearly $9 million, almost half of the average received over the past two decades.
With its relevance increasingly called into question and funding in decline, the MRC’s delay in delivering the “One Mekong” app underscores the commission’s ongoing challenges in addressing the needs of the region’s most vulnerable populations. As floodwaters rise, so too does the urgency for practical solutions.
About The Author
