>> hello and welcome to global 3000. your weekly look at how global developments affects us all. and here's what we have coming up for you today -- godly garments. white lotus silk is fast becoming a cash commodity in burma. a very different solar system. how farmers in nicaragua secured their harvest using the sun. and the plans for a controversial dam project in laos sparked fears in countries further downstream.

>> myanmar is opening up. it sounds like very good news or the region as a whole. investors have lost no time and are flocking to burma. even before we really know how far the military will go in following through the reforms they have promise, thousands of tourists have made up their mind that now is the time to come here and experience burmese culture. the loaches lower as a sacred meaning here like in much of asia. it also provides the raw material for lotus a silk. once worn only by a royals and monks, it is now a growing market amongst the tourists. >> the loaches flower represents purity, fertility, and enlightenment. she 10 way and choo-choo lynn

-- kyi thin nwe and kyu kyu lin call it a buddha possibly plant. they are collecting the plants stems. deep inside them lies a precious material, which some believe to have magical properties. >> we only take the best plans to work with. it is a tradition you can only find here. >> this is inle lake, and the hound of myanmar. it's home to that in the people, known as the "people of the lake." living on the water, they developed some special skills. they spend hours of standing on one leg, using the other to steer the boat. that way they have both hands free to cast their nets. the intha people live in symbiosis with the water.

they grow tomatoes, beans, and rice on floating gardens. standing on both legs is not an option here. any pressure makes the ground sink. the floating gardens are secured to the bottom of the lake solely with bamboo poles. kyi thin nwe and kyu kyu lin are back from harvesting the loaches. time is of the essence. the plants have to be processed while still damp. a swift slice reveals waiver- been threads, as fine as spiderwebs. later, they use it to make lotus silk, the most expensive clot in the world. buddhist's thread is delicate. weaving it requires considerable skill, as well as time and patience. these women we've about 20 meters of thread a day, a tradition dating back centuries. and it is a tradition that has

been passed down through the generations. >> we are not allowed to wear lotus silk. only buddha was pure enough. otherwise, it is only monks who are allowed to wear it in myanmar. >> but recently, tourists have begun to arrive and do bring money with them. now that the cell can be worn by anyone who can afford it. -- now lotus silk can be worn by anyone who can afford it. after half a century of military dictatorship, a wind of change is sweeping through myanmar. after the lake, change sounds from the whirr of motors. the arrival of tourists spells an end to peace and quiet here.

the fishermen are now the sauce- after subjects of tourists photograph. kyaw kyaw win goes fishing before dawn. there are only small fish here but it's enough to feed his family. the wave of change dissenting on myanmar is having an impact on his family as well. >> of course, it is good that tourists are coming to our lake. but for us as fishermen it is getting tougher. we have to repair our nets more often because they get ripped up by speedboats. >> it is not just tourists. traders from europe and asia are coming here, too. the women at these of blooms -- at these looms possess a rare skill. i get paid one dollar a day for weaving lotus silk. a small scarf made of the precious fabric sells for $100. >> lotus silk is unlike any

other material. when you're sick and you put lotus silk on your skin, the pain subsides. >> lotus silk is in huge demand, both as a souvenir and as an export product. italy imports of bales of buddha's thread. a customized lotus silk jacket sells for 7000 euros. the head of the silk factory says business is booming. >> the reforms are good for myanmar. finally, we can show the world who we are. for me, it is an opportunity to make the business international. lotus silk has a golden future. >> but change is not affecting everyone at the same pace. apart from the increase in tourism, not much has changed for the into -- the intha people. these houses on stilts might look idyllic, but for the people

living here, it is a life of grinding poverty. electricity, plumbing, and mobile phones are outside of their reach. in the evening when the tourists have left, stillness returns. for a few hours, the inle lake belongs to the intha people again. >> translated into english, it's a literally means "the sons of the lake." but the new developments around them raise the question of how much longer they can continue to control their lake. nicaragua has seen many conflicts but also some settlements over rights to land. here at large scales -- large scale being and coffee plantations now shape large parts of the landscape. but farmers face a new challenge. and stretches during the dry season and unbridgeable downpour threatens to spoil harvest.

a vienna-based ngo is now trying to get this risk factor under control by offering some simple and effective technology. >> another field in flames. as the dry season in nicaragua and stu anand, buyers are spreading over large areas of land. sophia castillo is furious. she is an agricultural expert and says farmers are starting the fires. they set fire to weekend brush to prepare for -- to prepare the ground for planting seeds. she says it is a disaster for the environment. >> writes now, a whole load of co2 is being released into the air. that has a really negative impact on global warming and consequently also on climate change. farmers shoot themselves in the foot by doing this. they destroyed the fertility of

the soil, polluted environment,, and contribute to climate change. >> nicaragua's a farmers are battling the drought. in some regions, it hasn't rained for six months. many wells are empty. juana ramirez is suffering, too. our perennial and out plans are drying up and she can't plant corn or beans until it rains again. in the meantime, this rather modest-looking container is helping her to grow other crops. project manager sophia castillo installs solar dryers with financial aid from the eu. this cinnamon, which is drying at the moment, provides additional income for the farmer.

thanks to this 1000 watt solar panel, she no longer has to leave her cocoa beans to dry in the open air. that protects her crops against changing weather conditions and other harm. >> i just pop the stuff into the dryer, closed the door, and that is it. it is much easier than drying it out in the open. otherwise, i would always need to watch out for the hens going after it or keep it from getting dirty. >> the solar dryer also saves time. a welcome relief for a household with eight children. ramirez often gets up as early as 3:00 in the morning. her time is taken up working in the fields and caring for her family. rice and beans form the basis of most meals here and solar dryers go a long way towards securing these staple crops.

a farming community in a neighboring area is also using the technique. there solar dryer has a significantly larger capacity. they can drive some 450 kilograms of corn, beans, and rice within just to give the oh days. -- within two days. farmers use a hygrometer to determine when their produce is fully dry. that is valuable information. >> i once lost about half my crop when we had two weeks of rain during harvest time. i packed the beans into sacks without noticing that they weren't properly dry. that's what a lot of it went bad.

>> the solar dryers are manufactured here, close to the capital of managua. the austrian firm kona -- cona supplies the components. they also hold the patent. more than 80 such units are already used throughout nicaragua, providing farmers with an environmentally-friendly alternative. >> our solar system allows us to solar power, rather than log buyers, to dry cocoa beans. in the julala area, for example, the forest is being recklessly cut down to provide wood for the drying process. since no one is taking about 34 station, the trees will soon be gone. -- since no one is thinking about reforestation, the trees

will soon be gone. >> one of the most powerful units in the country can be found at the university of leon. the 40-square meters of solar panels produce a great deal of hot air. university's department of food technology is studying the stoler dryers -- the solar dryers. students and professors are testing out new farming methods methods such as processing dried fruit. try this way, pineapples and bananas can not only be conserved and further process, they also fetch a higher price. solar energy helps farmers deal with other challenges, like your addition. cristina lopez is installing a new solar-powered water pump. up to now, she'd been using a diesel motor to pump water from the well to the fields. that was bad for the environment and came at a significant cost to the small farm.

>> you have to buy a lot of fuel to get the pump to work. and if you work it out, we spend 1000 cordoba on diesel each week and take in 2000 cordoba for our products. what is left in the end? not enough. >> angst to the solar pump, she can now grow her passion fruit as well as her profit. but the well can only supply water to one part of the six sectors of -- six hectares of farmland. the rest of the fields can only be farmed during the wet season, preparing the land for selling its tough physical work. the lopez family knows that slash and burn methods arm land.

all that's missing now is the rain date for in nicaragua. >> and now we'd like to tickle your taste buds with a regional speciality. falafel is the snack export from the middle east. we've gone back to the chickpea roots in beirut, lebanon, where sohev syon's family has been preparing the dish for some eight decades. >> beirut is changing rapidly. after a bitter civil war that left behind countless cars, locals and tourists alike can once again enjoy the city. customers constantly know in and out of sohev sayons'snack bar. here, the lawful is the snack of choice.

it is a staple in food joints across the middle east. >> this place was established maybe in 1933. my grandfather was the first one who made the falafel business in lebanon. then came my father and now i'm the third generation. >> making falafel's requires large amounts of hot oil and chickpeas. >> since the morning we start preparing it, it might take three to four hours to prepare everything. >> the chickpeas are crushed and seasoned with parsley, coriander, garlic, spring onions, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper. then everything is rolled into little balls and deep fried until it is crispy.

in beirut, the lawful is served with fresh lettuce, herbs, finely sliced radishes, and tomatoes. and finally, territory -- tarator is added. it is a thick sauce made of yogurt, garlic, cucumbers, and not. just old it over and it is ready to eat. >> all a lebanese people love this food we could eat it from morning to night. most of the customers are manual workers. they are people who do physical labor, like the kind of work you do at construction sites. chickpeas give your body strength and energy.

>> so, if you're feeling sluggish, had to beirut. -- head to beirut. >> asia's mekong river provides for some 60 million people as it grows from a tiny trickle in tibet to a broad river traversing six countries. it told large stocks of fish and is flanked by fertile farmland. but much of this natural abundance no longer has a place in the new plans several countries have for their stretch of the river. laos wants to harness the mekong to produce hydro-electricity and a secure study water supplies. the worldwide fund for nature has recently described plans for the xayaburi dam as one of the

most devastating projects in the world. our reporter traveled downstream and look for the signs of progress, that are sure to come at a price for nature. >> the mekong river and its natural glory. but for how long? the first signs of change, downriver from luang prabang in laos,, a bridge is being built for one of asia's most controversial dam construction projects. were traveling on a motor boat towards the dam, the source of the controversy. we don't know how close will get to the construction site, since were not licensed to film there. oh do these people know? they say construction has been underway for two years, mostly roads leading to the site. sure, says this man, the landscape here has changed significantly. 1400 kilometers downstream, the river branches out in several directions and takes a 20 meter plunge.

measured by a volume of water, it is the worlds largest waterfall. we continue our our journey to another construction project. laos is hoping to export hydroelectric power. it wants to become the battery of asia. the country plans to damm up this branch of the river to make way for a hydropower plant. for now, the fisherman's wooden traps are still set up. many fish swim thousands of kilometers from the as to where he to the headwaters. -- from the estuary to the headwaters. fisherman phet manivan knows how important it is for fish to move unimpeded. once the dam is built, he says, he knows for certain that his traps will be flooded. when the dam gets built to, it'll be the end of fishing.

the mekong is home to the largest variety of fish species in the world. for now, at least. 50 kilometers further south, the mekong flows through cambodia. during the rainy season, the river stretches several kilometers wide. the water flows over the treetops, pulling them to one side. were traveling with a local cambodian and survey shouldest. he's all mostly -- he's most worried about the large dam project in laos. >> the xayaburi dam will change the entire ecosystem. less water means fewer fish. >> countries downstream, especially cambodia and vietnam, are fighting tooth and now to prevent the dam project from going ahead. here, tourists are on the lookout for dolphins, but sightings on the mekong river are increasingly rare. we're in kratie in cambodia. we catch sight of leaping fish.

shortly afterwards, a dolphin appears. after years of being hunted, the dolphin stock was largely depleted. the dams are now being planned present an additional threat to these mammals. your art ryan is a dolphin researcher. he uses special camera -- gerrard ryan is a dolphin researcher. he uses special camera equipment to track the dolphin population in the area. he fears that if the dam in laos is built, more will follow. there are currently plans for 10 more dams along the river in cambodia. >> there are two dams planned within dolphin habitat, one at sanbur and one at stuntrek, and another one just upstream at dontahongins in souther laos. and i think any of those dams could have a very significant impact on the population and potentially wipe it out even.

>> river traffic is heavy close to cambodia's capital city. the mekong is the lifeblood of the country. many people here get 80% of their protein from fish. that's why cambodians are so concerned about the effect of the dam on the mekong ecosystem. chum hang tong is the head of a state owned fishing operation. he's been campaigning for construction to be pushed back by 10 years to monitor the effects on fish. but the appeal was rejected. >> if the xayaburi dam is built, the official no longer be able to migrate as needed. then we won't have enough fish. >> my tho is located in the mekong delta region and vietnam, 2000 kilometers downstream from the dam plant in laos. but people here are worried, too. le than bac is a scientist

studying fish stocks. and he complains that laos isn't cooperated with the countries further downstream. >> we have a need for study but i think so far they did not consider the effects the dam will have a neighboring countries. >> laos is following the footsteps of china which over the years has built several dams on the mekong river. >> they don't go in detail or specifics with us. >> they don't tell you the details? >> from my point of view, i don't think they tell us in detail. >> it is a politically sensitive topic. the mekong river flows through six countries. tension between countries closer to the mouth of the river and those closer to the source are already brewing. back in laos, we returned to thex -- we returned to the

xayaburi dam. for years, laos has maintained that the dam is not yet under construction, but were not allowed on land. one news agency however did manage to take pictures. a show that large-scale construction has gone -- has been underway for some time. and meanwhile, construction has officially started. studies have reportedly confirmed the safety of the project, a claim disputed by conservationists. we headed back down the river, during that within a few years, we may no longer be able to behold its natural beauty. >> to tell us your views on the project, you can find us on facebook. so go ahead and join our global debate. and that's all we have time for this edition of global 3000. thanks for watching and don't forget to tune in again, same time, same place in one week from now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

>> a new alleged whistle-blower in the united states. a high military officer is said to have leaked top military information. >> you are watching al jazeera live from doha. outident obama rules fighting for whistle-blower edward snowden. three days of fighting in the libyan capital.