Dams affect Mekong's flow
a record drop in the water level of Mekong river is likely to deprive millions of people in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam of their livelihoods. Environmentalists hold huge dams in China and last year's severe drought responsible for the crisis. Originating in the Tibetan plateau, the 4830-km-long Mekong flows through China and Myanmar too. The four countries mentioned above are located downstream of the river.
The Mekong River Commission (mrc), which has representatives from the four countries, revealed on March 24 that the river was flowing at its lowest recorded level. It was "close to rock bottom" near the end of its course, it said. The mrc was established to oversee the health of the Mekong waterway through the four countries that rely heavily on it for food, water and transport.
Intriguingly, the commission did a flip-flop on the issue. mrc's Cambodia director, Pech Sokhem, observed that although low rainfall was one of the causes of the problem, Chinese dams were the main culprit (see: 'Vociferous protest', Down To Earth, December 31, 2002). Chainarong Setthachua, director of South East Asia Rivers Network, an environmental organisation, also blamed "dam operations in China" for the crisis.
But on March 26, the mrc said in Beijing that the decrease in Mekong's waters was only related to last year's scanty rains and did not have a direct link with any Chinese dam. However, according to media reports, some mrc scientists continue to hold Chinese dams responsible for the plummeting water levels. Environmentalists are also concerned about China's plans to build six more dams on the Mekong, as revealed by an mrc report. These might prove disastrous for the people of the downstream countries and the 1500 species unique to the area's river system.
Similar concerns were recently voiced by Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia about Indian dams on the upper catchments of the rivers shared by the two countries. She alleged that these were creating problems like drought, increased salinity and ecological imbalance in Bangladesh.
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