The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is the cooperation body between the four countries of the lower river basin: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Since 2007, as part of WHYCOS and IWRM, the MRC has led the Mekong-HYCOS (2007-2012) and Mekong-HYCOS Follow-up (2016-2017) projects.

These two projects led to the installation of more than 30 hydrological stations along the Mekong and its tributaries, making it possible to establish a data collection system shared between the MRC and its member states.

In 2017, wishing to extend this support for the Mekong hydrometric network, the MRC approached AFD, which asked it to add the strengthening of local skills in water resource analysis. The MRC therefore launched an additional call for tenders for this purpose, which was jointly won by IOWater, INRAE, IWMI and CNR.

After this phase 2 for 2016-2017, AFD agreed to support phase 3 launched by the MRC for 2019-2023.

This phase 3 of Mekong-HYCOS focuses on the identification and implementation of the Mekong River monitoring network. The overall objective of this project is to provide a sustainable, standardised, harmonised and integrated monitoring system to achieve four specific objectives:

1. assessment of river status and trends ;
2. management of hydraulic infrastructure project operations ;
3. flood and drought forecasting ;
4. assessment of the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable people whose livelihoods depend on the river.

It is also organised into the following 5 components:

1. Examination, analysis and design of a central river monitoring network;
2. Extension of the Mekong-HYCOS network (redesign and development of a core network);
3. improving the use of hydrometeorological data and statistics (Phase 2 IT tools);
4. support for the operation and maintenance of existing stations; and
5. technical expertise to support the project.