Water levels across the vast majority of lower Mekong basin have now returned to their normal long-term averages, says the Mekong River Commission (MRC). But they are still lower than those of the 2018 and 2019 dry seasons.
Category: Mekong
China held water back from drought-stricken Mekong countries, report says
While these dams have disrupted the river’s natural systems for years, 2019 saw a particularly damaging situation, as downstream countries faced a severe drought while the Upper Mekong received above-average rainfall.
Are China’s dams on the Mekong causing downstream drought? The importance of scientific debate
There are weaknesses in the methodology used that undermine the claims that China completely held back the 2019 wet season flow.
Study on China dams brings the Brahmaputra into focus
“India will continue to raise the issue of river waters in the Brahmaputra with China, as that appears to be the only methodology to ensure what happened on Mekong does not happen on Brahmaputra.”
In the Mekong, a Confluence of Calamities
Once the acute crisis sparked by the coronavirus threat has passed, Cambodia and its neighbors will still be faced with the long-term challenge of ensuring a sustainable and vibrant Mekong River system.
China’s weaponisation of water
Since the conquest of Tibet, which has the largest headwaters of major rivers flowing through South and South East Asia, China has unabashedly used water as a weapon, a geo-political tool for coercive diplomacy.
Us’ vs ‘them’: The politics dictating the rise and fall of the Mekong
Dams, economic interests and political power are just some of the factors contributing to the over-exploitation of the mighty Mekong. Can any of the competing transnational bodies halt the river’s decline?
Southeast Asia’s hydropower boom grinds to a halt as COVID-19 stalls projects
The government of Laos has already ordered a temporary halt to all hydropower construction in the country, after a mining company worker tested positive for the virus.
Have China’s dams been drying up the Mekong River or is low rainfall to blame?
Beijing said it was “unjustifiable” to blame China for worsening drought in lower reaches of the Mekong, as Chinese officials disputed the findings by citing low rainfall during last year’s monsoon season.