SBR- Content.pmd - INBO

11 - Trade and transport2. Contribution of river transport to poverty alleviationAvailable evidence suggests that the poorest communities in the Mekong Basin are rarely locatedalong the Mekong River and its tributaries. In Cambodia, for example, the poorest communities(those with more than 40 percent of the population below the poverty line) live some distance fromthe river. d Generally speaking, the communities along the Mekong River and its tributaries haveless than 40 percent of their households below the poverty line (on average 25-40 percent). e Theexceptions are the communities bordering the Tonle Sap River and Lake.Another way of looking at this evidence is that the communities bordering the Mekong and itstributaries have already benefited economically from the river’s attributes, whether they be relatedto water for irrigation, to fishery resources or to transport uses. As a result, they are considerablyless poor than they would have been had they been remote from the river. While it is practicallyimpossible to separate the benefits provided by these attributes, there is little doubt that the yearroundtransport capability provided by the river has contributed substantially to the economic wellbeingof its communities.In the very few instances where riverside communities appear not to be realising the full economicbenefits from use of the river for transportation (as appears to be the case with communities locatedalong the Tonle Sap River and Lake), measures to improve benefits range from infrastructureimprovements to reducing the burden of taxes and charges on boat operation.In 2001, river trade between China and Lao PDR totalled $350 million.d UNWFP et al. (February 2001), page 47.eUN World Food Programme in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning, Cambodia and UNDP, Identifying PoorAreas in Cambodia, February 2001. In this study, “poor households” have been defined as those with consumptionexpenditure below the 54,050 Riel per month estimated as necessary to purchase a 2100 calorie food basket per dayand to meet other minimal expenditures.221