Mekong shrivels as drought, dams strangle the river
The once-mighty Mekong river has been reduced to a thin, grubby neck of water in stretches of northern Thailand -- record lows blamed on drought and a recently completed dam far upstream.
The $4.47 billion Thai-owned Xayaburi hydro-electric power plant went into operation this week in Laos after years of warnings over the potential impact on fish flow, sediment and water levels on a river which feeds tens of millions.
Along parts of Thailand’s northeastern border at Loei, the kilometre-wide (3,300-foot) river has shrivelled to a few dozen metres, with boulders and bedrock encasing muddy pools of water.
From above, the encroaching banks of Laos and Thailand are now a thread of water apart, restricting fishing grounds to a slim channel.
Fishermen blame a combination of this year’s weak monsoon and the Xayaburi dam, around 300 kilometres (185 miles) to the north.
“I don’t want any more dam construction,” said fisherman Sup Aunkaew, who tossed a meagre catch into his boat, adding that the fish spawning habits have been “confused” by the unseasonally low water levels.
“But we can’t really oppose their plans if they want to do it.”
Landlocked and impoverished Laos has set its sights on becoming “the battery of Asia”, with 44 operating hydro plants and 46 more under construction many on key tributaries of the Mekong, according to monitor International Rivers.
The Mekong River Commission (MRC), a body governing regional water diplomacy, said the water levels from June to October are the lowest in nearly 30 years.
In Nong Khai, which faces the Laos’ capital Vientiane, the water dropped to around one metre (3.2 feet) on Tuesday, several times shallower than average, the MCR said.
Measurements across the river “are significantly below the minimum levels for this time of year and are expected to decreases further”, it said in a statement to AFP.
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