Slow boat owners lose millions as Mekong drops
Vientiane Times, By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
(Latest Update March 4, 2010)
Unseasonably low levels of water in the Mekong River are having serious consequences for river transport in the north of Laos.
Slow tourist and cargo boats, which run between Luang Prabang and Bokeo provinces, stopped operating on February 19 because of shallow water, the first time the Mekong has fallen this low for several decades. This has put many boat owners out of business.
The river route through Laos is favoured by foreign tourists, who cross into Bokeo province from Chiang Rai province, Thailand. From here they travel downriver to Luang Prabang via Pakbaeng district in Oudomxay province.
At present, there are about 60 boats in Luang Prabang that transport tourists on this route, bringing visitors to one of the top destinations in Laos. Some 100 boats in Oudomxay and Bokeo provinces also carry tourists on this route.
At least 300 foreign tourists travel by boat up and down the Mekong between Luang Prabang and Bokeo each day. Luang Prabang Boat Association President, Mr Nikone Somphantavong, said yesterday boat owners and crew members had lost at least 195 million kip since the Mekong dropped to a critical level in the middle of last month.
We could make at least 15 million kip a day if we could continue to operate, he told Vientiane Times.
Mr Nikone said slow boat owners now found it difficult to make a living, adding that many of them were now competing with each other to offer trips over shorter distances, mainly from Luang Prabang to Pakbaeng.
The Mekong normally starts to rise after Lao New Year in April with the onset of the rainy season.
Mr Nikone said this was the first time he could remember slow boats having to suspend their services since the boat association was established 30 years ago, adding that the low water level had caught boat owners unawares.
The association had reported the problems they faced to the provincial authorities, in the hope they could provide some form of assistance.
We don't know what the provincial authorities can do to help, but they are discussing the matter, he said.
Although slow boats were no longer running between Bokeo and Luang Prabang, tourism in Luang Prabang was still thriving.
Mr Nikone said only a few tourists had cancelled their visit because of transport problems because they had the alternative of using speedboats, which can carry 6 to 8 passengers. Tourists also travel to Luang Prabang by road and air routes.
The people who cancelled their trip to Luang Prabang were the ones who really wanted to come here by slow boat, he said. |
