Jinghong Dam
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) said on Friday that water levels in the Mekong River have dropped to “worrying levels,” partly due to restrictions on the outflow from dams upstream in China, Reuters reported from Bangkok on Feb. 12.
A Reuters report said the vital waterway has turned blue along the Thai-Laos border, changing from its usual dull brown color to light water with low levels of nutrient-rich sediment, partly due to restrictions on the outflow of the Jinghong dam in China’s Yunnan province.
Lower rainfall and dams on the Mekong and tributaries have also contributed to lower water levels, the MRC statement said Friday.
Such fluctuations affect fish migration, agriculture and transportation, on which nearly 70 million people depend for their livelihoods and Food security.
To help lower Mekong countries manage risks more effectively, we are calling on China to share its water release plans with lower Mekong countries, said Winai Wongpimool, director of technical support at the MRC secretariat.
The MRC says normalcy may be restored if large amounts of water are released from the reservoirs of Chinese dams.
China’s Foreign Ministry disputes the MRC’s findings, adding that there are many causes of drought downstream.
Last year, China pledged to share data on the dams with Dam Commission members Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
In January, Beijing notified neighbors that its dams were filling their reservoirs until Jan. 25.
Water levels at the Jinghong dam were 785 cubic meters per second in early January, then rose to 1,400 cubic meters per second in mid-January, according to the MRC.
However, the water level dropped again in February, to 800 cubic meters per second by Thursday, the MRC said.
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