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This paper examines the myth that human activities in one location cause bank erosion on the opposite bank or scouring/sedimentation of the riverbed downstream. The equilibrium relationship between the grain size of the riverbed and the dimensionless tractive force during fl ooding of the Mekong River is described. Erosion of the bank returns the river to equilibrium conditions from non-equilibrium conditions caused by human activities. Areas where severe bank erosion will occur are also identifi ed. The Mekong River fl ows over 4,800 km from its source on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, at an elevation of over 5,200 m above mean sea level, to the South China Sea. It passes through si