A lot of people depend on the Mekong.
From Nikkei, February 22:
Jinghong Dam cuts flow bound for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
China's water relations with Southeast Asian neighbors are under strain after Beijing held up the Mekong River's flow at one of its large dams upstream, precipitating a sudden drop in volume for downstream countries that share the region's longest body of water.
"The water levels dropped suddenly since the beginning of January," fumed Niwat Roikaew, chairperson of Love Chiang Khong Group, a nonprofit environmental campaign in Chiang Rai, a northern Thai province where the Mekong flows past. "We all know this happened because China closed the dam."
An estimated 60 million people along the lower Mekong depend on the river's flow for their livelihood. Communities in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam were caught off guard by Beijing's move, worsening their plight in the midst of the annual dry season.
By mid-February there was little relief in river basin communities affected by China's decision to reduce the discharge from Jinghong Dam in Yunnan Province. China's Ministry of Water Resources informed the lower Mekong countries of its tests at the mega-dam in early January, almost a week after it began to slash the flow to 1,000 cu. meters per second from the usual 1,900 cu. meters. The tests were to have been completed by Jan. 24.
The fluctuating river flow has fallen to "worrying levels," the Mekong River Commission said in a report this month. The intergovernmental body -- representing Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam -- manages the Mekong basin's ecology.
"There have been sudden rises and falls in water levels immediately downstream of Jinghong and further down to Vientiane [the Laotian capital], which has been challenging for authorities and communities to prepare for and respond to possible impacts," an MRC official said in the report....
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The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, Global Times, is adamant in their "nyuh-uh, not us".
From GT, March 1:
Chinese dams not to blame for low Mekong water levels: report
While its own people in Texas are in dire straits amid an electricity-related crisis, the US has turned its attention to the Mekong water resource issue, while turning a blind eye to China's efforts to resolve the problems.
Ned Price, US State Department spokesperson, raised "concerns over the dropping water levels of the Mekong River," in a tweet on February 23, after the Mekong River Commission (MRC) in mid-February expressed concern that the water level in the river had come down to "alarming levels" due to water control in upstream dams in China. The MRC said the lower water levels endanger the livelihoods of downstream people.
The MRC suggested the water shortfall since the beginning of the year is mainly because of lower rainfall, upstream flow changes, hydropower operations in tributaries, and outflow restrictions from the upstream Jinghong dam in Southwest China's Yunnan Province.
However, this statement did not reflect the full facts and scientific conclusions, and it ignored the contribution of upstream hydropower projects.
The latest data shows that for the past two months, Jinghong station, one of the main hydropower stations on the Lancang River, upper half of Mekong River, has been releasing more water than the river's average natural flow rate recorded during the Mekong River's current dry season.
Higher discharge than natural level
In fact, the average discharge of Jinghong Hydropower Station this January was 1,243 cubic meters per second (m3/s), 78.6 percent more than the annual average natural discharge of 696 m3/s, and 16.2 percent more than the same period last year, according to China's official water monitoring data.
Also, February saw a similar trend, with the monthly average outbound flow from Jinghong reaching 1,026 m3/s, 75.1 percent more than the annual average natural flow of 586 m3/s in the month.
This suggests that the construction of Chinese dams on Lancang River has alleviated the drought downstream.
Low flow is common during the dry season from December to May due to monsoon climate characteristics. The runoff in the rainy season from June to November is usually 3.7 times that of the dry season. The Lancang cascade reservoirs store flood water in the rainy season and discharge more water in the dry season, which effectively increases the dry season streamflow of the Mekong River....
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And Tailand's Chiang Rai Times, March 9, isn't buying it
Dams Blamed for One Meter Water Levels on Lower Mekong River
Previously:- "The Mekong River, Water Wars, and Information Wars"
- "China eyes its next prize – the Mekong"
- "China Is Weaponizing Water"
- "China drags India and other neighbors into high-stakes geopolitical poker game over freshwater access "
