What are the risks associated with swimming in the Mekong River?

What are the risks associated with swimming in the Mekong River? - White Swan

I read (mirror) that people sometimes swim between Laos and Thailand across the Mekong River. Aside from immigration matters and possible strong streams, what are the risks (e.g., hostile piscifauna) associated with swimming in the Mekong River?






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What are the risks to the Mekong River?

The Mekong River ecosystem is on the verge of irreversible collapse due to the accumulative effects of climate change and increased numbers of upstream dams as well as other human-made activities such as deforestation, sand mining, extensive irrigation for agriculture and wetland conversion.

How polluted is the Mekong River?

Challenge. The Mekong is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, transporting an estimated 40 thousand tonnes of plastic into the world's oceans each year.

Are there crocodiles in the Mekong River?

Besides diverse species of plants and fauna, the Mekong region is home to unique flora and fauna: Irrawaddy dolphins are critically endangered, and large freshwater turtles, Mekong large catfish, and Siamese crocodiles inhabit this portion of the river.

Why is the Mekong River so dirty?

According to news reports, the high concentration of algae has been clogging fishing nets and making it difficult to fish. The shallow water levels have likely been caused by a combination of drought and dams in the region.



Are dams killing the Mekong river? | DW News




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Anthony, Diego Madrigal, Tomáš Malík, ROMAN ODINTSOV