And this is only a taste of things to come, as Laos continues to build dams and Cambodia plans to construct a dam at Sambor, Kratie which will threaten the last home of the Irrawaddy dolphins in the Cambodian stretch of the Mekong.
Together with climate change, the number of massive hydro-electric dams planned for the Mekong river are going to have a huge impact on all the fish, mammals and human beings who depend on South East Asia's giant river. SEA needs power certainly, but there is no oversight on the longterm consequences of the Mekong dam-building frenzy.

China Dam Construction Is Putting Pressure on Mekong River
by Aisha Down and Van Roeun | January 17, 2017

A cascade of six dams being built in southern China has caused significant changes to water levels in the Mekong River as far downstream as Cambodia, according to a study released by researchers from Finland and Laos.
Mekong water levels have increased during the dry season and decreased during the wet season at several sites on the river as a result of China’s dams, according to the study, which was released earlier this month.

Water levels in Kratie province, for example, have been 74 percent higher in the dry season over the past five years compared to the long-term average, the study says.

While there are some potential positive impacts—more water available during the dry season makes the river easier to navigate—the study says that overall the deviations threaten the livelihoods of those living on the river, destroy fish habitats and unpredictably flood houses and fields.

Maureen Harris, the Southeast Asia program director for the NGO International Rivers, agreed that the dams in China were causing irregular spikes in water levels as they discharged water from their reservoirs.

“Some people have had property destroyed from these fluctuations. Some have lost shopfronts, lost farms,” Ms. Harris said.

Ms. Harris, whose NGO has worked extensively with communities affected by hydropower projects on the Mekong, said the Chinese dams often released water without warning, with no information reaching those whose rice fields, fish traps and water buffaloes might be affected.

“China’s been quite resistant to engaging in multilateral platforms. There’s been some recent data-sharing…but the information is inadequate,” Ms. Harris said...

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/chin ... er-123538/

The Thais are also concerned about Chinese influence on the Mekong - but not the Thai government for some reason.

Thailand’s Military Government Ignoring the Risks on the Mekong River to Appease China

CHIANG RAI – The Prayut Chan-o-cha Government made an out-of-the-blue decision that paves the way for the demolition of the Mekong River’s rocky outcrops for the sake of “improved waterway navigation” near Chang Saen, Chiang Rai.

Thailand’s Military installed governments backing of China’s blasting plan of the Mekong River inlet in Chiang Rai is not only a danger to wildlife and fish habitat, it will threaten food resources for riverside communities.

The Network of Thai People in Eight Mekong Provinces and an alliance of community organizations from the Mekong Basin opposes the plan. The group says the clearing of islets would also accelerate the river flow, which could trigger erosion in the river bank. The navigation of large ships along the route would also make it difficult for locals to travel by boat in the area.

The Network says the justification offered is both weak and unjustified. The public was neither consulted nor informed while the well-being of the ecology of the world’s tenth longest river is at risk. And the party gaining the most significant trade benefits will obviously be China...
http://www.chiangraitimes.com/thailands ... china.html

Old thread on the same subject:
Chinese dams blamed for exacerbating Southeast Asian drought https://cambodiaexpatsonline.com/topic8337.html

those dolphins will al be eaten soon anyway.

OK,next problem

Good news I guess.
China have agreed that they don't need to bomb the Mekong River islets in Chiang Rai with explosives to make a vast canal for their projected river traffic. Or at least, not right now. This announcement might be to do with the Thai elections coming up, but even so, great news for Thailand.

Now to see if enough people give a dam about the proposed Chinese dams on the Mekong in Cambodia (such as the future Samor mega-dam) to speak out like the Thais and the Burmese have done, to urge the authorities to stop and reconsider the consequences of mega-hydro-electric dams on the Mekong ?

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeas ... -says-thai
China scraps plan to blow up Mekong River islets, says Thai minister
‘The blasts aimed at paving the way for big vessels would affect people’s way of life and also fish in the river,’ said Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai
Published: 4:45pm, 9 Mar, 2019

China has agreed to drop a plan to clear rocky outcrops and islets in the upper reaches of the Mekong River over deep concerns from downstream countries, Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Friday.

Don said the issue was discussed and agreed during last month’s visit to Bangkok by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who accepted the concerns from Thailand, Laos and Myanmar about potential negative effects of the proposed blasting.

“The blasts aimed at paving the way for big vessels would affect people’s way of life and also fish in the river,” Don said. “We proposed to China that it is unnecessary to blast the islets in the river and our Chinese counterpart accepted with a good understanding.”

Don said that aside from ecological effects, blasting could also change the course of the key river that flows from China toward the South China Sea, passing five Southeast Asian countries on its way – possibly affecting borderlines.

He said there are now better ways to transport products from China into the Mekong countries.

The plan to blast rapids in the upper reaches of the Mekong to allow for the smooth passage of large cargo vessels was approved by concerned countries, including Thailand in December 2016.

But it has been delayed due to the opposition from locals and environment groups.

The river would be infinitely preferable to saltwater ports currently under construction for moving materiel past the Siamese and Youn naval forces in a tactical sense.

All indications are that said materiel will be pre positioned well in advance by stealth and treaty in any case.

Most likely force will not be required due to the robust collaboration now evident with the immaculate efforts of the local gentry.

.thaipbsworld.com
Eight Chinese dams block 40 billion cubic meters of water from Mekong River
July 21, 2019

The eight dams in China, which were built on the Mekong River, or Lancang as it is called in China, have been blamed as the chief culprit in the sharp fall in water levels downstream and the resulting hardships caused to people in lower riparian countries, according to the Mekong Freedom Network, a civic group that studies the impacts of dams constructed along the Mekong river.

From its studies, the group said that the eight dams have blocked a combined total of over 40 billion cubic metres of water for use in electricity generation, irrigation and other purposes and they are the main cause of unnatural flows of the river, affecting the livelihoods of the people living along the river.

The group said that the lowest water level was observed when the Jinghong dam, in China’s Yunnan province, cut the water flow rate through the dam to 500 cubic metres/second. The flow was increased to 1,000 cubic metres/second on July 18th.

The water levels in several northern and northeastern provinces of Thailand, however, remain at record lows, making navigation, fishing and pumping of water for consumption impossible.

The group claim they have been demanding that the government to step in to address the problem, but without success.


PUBLISHED DAILY BY THE LOWY INSTITUTE Published 25 Jun 2019

in addition to the seven dams regularly cited as completed ­­– Manwan, Dachaosha, Xiaowan, Nuozhadu, Gongguoqi, Jinghon and Miaowei – recent research kindly transmitted to me by Bryan Eyler of the Stimson Center in Washington DC has identified four further dams in operation: Dahuaqiao, Huangdeng, Lidi and Wunonglor, all located on the upper reaches of the river, which is known as the Lancang in China.

Mekong water levels are at a record low.

Mekong levels set to rise soon
Ry Sochan | Publication date 22 July 2019
The Mekong River water levels during the early rainy season in June, were among the lowest on record, according to the Mekong River Commission (MRC). But, the situation is expected to improve at the end of this month.

"From the upper reaches of the lower Mekong basin in Thailand's Chiang Saen district to Cambodia's Neak Luong [commune in Prey Veng province's Peamro district], the water levels are below those that occurred in 1992, which was by far the year with the lowest flow on record.

"The water in Kratie, at 9.31m, is about 5.4m below its long-term average but is about 0.16m higher than the lowest level ever recorded. Between June 10 and July 18, there was a drop of about 0.38m at the station," an MRC press release said.

The MRC's analysis and available information said some key factors have contributed to the current state of what is described as the “regional low flow” of the Mekong river basin."There has been very deficient rainfall over the Mekong basin since the beginning of this year.

“The average lower-than-normal rain volume in the lower Mekong basin during June and July could also cause deficient groundwater in the region, meaning there is insufficient groundwater contributing to the Mekong mainstream.

"The amount of water flowing from the upper part of the basin could also be a potential contribution to the low flow," the MRC said.

A notification from China previously said that from July 5-19, the amount of water flowing out of the Jinghong dam in Yunnan province would be fluctuating from 1,050-1,250 to 504-600 cubic metres per second due to "grid maintenance".

But the MRC said that with rain forecasted at the end of this month, the current state of the lower water in the basin is expected to improve.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... -rise-soon

July 25, 2019 / 12:17 PM / Updated a day ago
Missing Mekong waters rouse suspicions of China
Panu Wongcha-um

6 Min Read

BAN NONG CHAN, Thailand (Reuters) - By this time of year, the Mekong River should have been rising steadily with the monsoon rains, bringing fishermen a bounty of fat fish.

Instead, the river water in Thailand has fallen further than anyone can remember and the only fish are tiny.

Scientists and people living along the river fear the impact of the worst drought in years has been exacerbated by upstream dams raising the prospect of irreversible change on the river that supports one of Southeast Asia’s most important rice-growing regions.

A Chinese promise to release more dam water to ease the crisis has only raised worries over the extent to which the river’s natural cycles - and the communities that have depended on it for generations - have been forever disrupted.

“Now China is completely in control of the water,” said Premrudee Deoruong of Laos Dam Investment Monitor, an environmental group.

“From now on, the concern is that the water will be controlled by the dam builders.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-meko ... SKCN1UK19Q

Really?
Dam affect flow rates?
Who woulda thunk it?

Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk

Mekong levels downstream still close to record lows: MRC
21 August 2019
Mekong water levels in Cambodia rose during the week ended Tuesday but remained close to record lows at downstream locations, according to the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
In a weekly report, the MRC said rainfall boosted water levels by between 20 and 70 centimeters at Stung Treng, Kratie, Kompong Cham and Phnom Penh stations on the Mekong, Bassac and Tonle Sap between August 5 and 12.
Mekong water levels at Stung Treng, Kratie and Kompong Cham rose above historic lows between 1980 and 2018.
But water levels were still “close” to historic lows at Chaktomuk on the Bassac, Phnom Penh Port and Prekdam on the Tonle Sap and Neak Luong on the Mekong.
The report noted that the station in Chiang Saen in northern Thailand was also below record lows due to low inflows from upstream in China.
http://www.thmeyload.com/archives/15955