Songkhram River

The Songkhram River (Thai: แม่น้ำสงคราม, RTGS: maenam songkhram, pronounced [mɛ̂ː.náːm sǒŋ.kʰrāːm]) is a tributary of the Mekong River. It originates in the hills between Nong Han District, Udon Thani Province and Sawang Daen Din District, Sakon Nakhon Province. It flows through Seka District (Nong Khai Province), Wanon Niwat (Sakon Nakhon Province), and Si Songkhram District and empties into the Mekong River in tambon Chai Buri, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom Province. It is 420 kilometres (260 mi) long.

The Songkhram is one of the more important but lesser known rivers in Thailand's northeast. It is the last Mekong tributary in Thailand free of developments blocking river flow. Fish can swim freely into the Songkhram River from the Mekong and use it as a spawning ground. This replenishes the fish stocks that are an indispensable food source for inhabitants of the Mekong region.[1]

Wildlife

The lower Songkhram River basin provides habitat for 192 species of fish, 136 species of birds, and 208 plant species.[1]

Ramsar designation

The lower river basin has been nominated as a protected area under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance as a result of joint efforts by local government, HSBC-Thailand, and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Thailand (WWF).[1]

If accepted by Thailand's National Environmental Board, this Ramsar site, Thailand's 15th, will protect a 92 kilometre stretch of the Songkhram River and 34,000 rai (5,440 hectares) of basin. Over 240,000 people and 49 communities are estimated to benefit from the designation.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Thailand's last untouched Mekong tributary". The Nation. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.


Coordinates: 17°39′08″N 104°27′45″E / 17.6521°N 104.4624°E / 17.6521; 104.4624

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