Mekong - A River of Asia

British actor Stephen Murray informatively narrates this documentary that follows the mighty Mekong river from it's rising in Tibet, high in the Himalayas for around 3,000 miles through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The photography illustrates just how this waterway has always been a vital lifeline for the adjacent communities proving food, water, irrigation and a navigable route for people and goods alike. What's clear is that the river is not consistent with it's generosity. Some areas are left inundated whilst others as dry as a bone - it all depends on the monsoon in June/July that can last until November. That can bring opportunity and ruin in equal measure to agrarian communities ill-equipped to deal with these unpredictable and destructive variations. That latter part of this film illustrates efforts to deal with these annual problems. An UN-backed study involving some sixteen nations from around the world is working on ways to manage the river's resource more efficiently. A series of dams and reservoirs is proposed that would more than double the amount of arable land available and provide not just consistent water supplies, but electricity too. The camerawork captures the great scale of the Mekong - especially at it's almost octopus-like delta. It's magnificence and it's power are also well depicted here, as are the lives of the people who live, plant their rice, fish and worship beside it. It's quite an interesting twenty-odd minutes that shows just how consensus, science and progress can offer hope for citizens whose lives has been constant for centuries.