Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 28 June 2010 - Environmental and hydropower experts will be meeting in Ho Chi Minh City over the next two days to discuss an assessment of the environmental and social impact of the 12 hydropower dams proposed for construction on the mainstream lower Mekong. The MRC commissioned Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of Proposed Mainstream Hydropower Dams in the Lower Mekong is due for release in August this year and this meeting will inform its final report. Consultants working on the SEA are expected to recommend a range of possible measures to Mekong countries in order to address both the development opportunities and concerns over the impact of the proposed projects. The MRC says that this will feed into subsequent discussions among MRC Member Countries Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam as to whether or not to go ahead with such schemes, and if so, under what conditions.