evidence: - After a dam failure in southern Laos left at least 31 dead, the government announced it will suspend all new dam projects and carry out safety inspections of all existing dams. [...] The Aug. 7 decision came in the aftermath of the collapse of a hydroelectric dam in the country’s south on July 23. The dam failure caused devastating floods in both Laos and Cambodia’s Stung Treng province, which lies downstream of the dam. [...] Conservationists warn that scores of dams built or planned for the Mekong River and its tributaries threaten ecosystems, livelihoods and food security across the Mekong Basin.