Spatiotemporal Dynamics, Risk Mechanisms, and Adaptive Governance of Flood Disasters in the Mekong River Countries

Xingru Chen (), Zhixiong Ding, Xiang Li, Baiyinbaoligao and Hui Liu
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Xingru Chen: Department of Hydraulics, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, China
Zhixiong Ding: Department of Hydraulics, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, China
Xiang Li: Department of Hydraulics, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, China
Baiyinbaoligao: Department of Hydraulics, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, China
Hui Liu: Department of Hydraulics, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), Beijing 100038, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Floods are among the most frequent and damaging natural hazards in the Mekong River Basin, where the interplay of monsoon-driven climate variability, complex topography, and rapid socio-economic change creates high exposure and vulnerability. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of flood disaster patterns, loss distribution, and regional disparities across five countries in the Lower Mekong Basin—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Using multivariate spatiotemporal analysis based on EM-DAT, MRC, and national government datasets, the study quantifies flood frequency, casualties, and affected population to reveal cross-country differences in disaster impact and timing. Results show that while Vietnam and Thailand experience high flood frequency and storm-induced events, Laos and Cambodia face riverine flooding under constrained economic and infrastructural conditions. The findings highlight a basin-wide increase in flood frequency over recent decades, driven by climate change, land use transitions, and uneven development. The analysis identifies critical gaps in adaptive governance, particularly the need for dynamic policy frameworks that can adjust to spatial disparities in flood typologies (e.g., Vietnam’s storm floods vs. Cambodia’s riverine floods) and improve transboundary coordination of reservoir operations. Despite the region’s extensive reservoir capacity, most infrastructure prioritizes hydropower over flood mitigation. The study evaluates the role of regional cooperation frameworks such as the Lancang–Mekong Cooperation (LMC), demonstrating how strengthened institutional flexibility and knowledge-sharing mechanisms could enhance progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water governance (SDG 6), resilient infrastructure (SDG 9), and disaster risk reduction (SDG 11). By constructing the first integrated national-level flood disaster database for the basin and conducting comparative analysis across countries, this research provides empirical evidence to support differentiated yet coordinated flood risk governance strategies at both national and transboundary levels.

Keywords: Mekong river basin; flood disasters; spatiotemporal analysis; multi-source data; disaster governance; regional cooperation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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