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BANGKOK: China has notified its downstream neighbors that it is slowing the flow of the Mekong River at a hydroelectric dam in the upper reaches of the waterway for 20 days, as part of a new data-sharing pact, the Commission of the Mekong River (MRC) and Thailand. (January 6th).
The remarks came a day after a new US-backed monitoring system said China failed to notify downstream countries of the water restrictions that began on December 31.
China agreed last October to share water data with the MRC, an advisory body for Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam that had long sought the information for planning.
More than 60 million people in those countries depend on the river for fishing and agriculture.
Thailand’s National Water Command Center said China had notified Thailand on Tuesday that its Jinghong Dam will reduce its water discharge rate from 1,904 cubic meters per second to 1,000 cubic meters per second from January 5 to 24, which equates to a decrease of approximately 47 per second. penny.
That was for “transmission line maintenance” on its power grid, he said.
The MRC said it received a notification the same day, although it first detected the drop in the water level on December 31. The level is likely to drop around 1.2 meters and river navigation and fishing could be affected, he said.
The MRC said the Chinese notification ensured that the flow “will gradually be restored to normal operating status on January 25,” without specifying an exact volume rate.
The new Mekong Dam Monitor on its Facebook page said on Tuesday that China had failed to notify neighbors when the Jinghong Dam began to restrict waters on December 31, “causing a sudden 1 meter drop in river level.” down that could devastate the fish population.
The monitor uses cloud-piercing satellites to track levels at 11 upstream dams in China and other countries. Funded in part by the US State Department, it began operations last month, adding to the rivalry between the China-US superpowers in Southeast Asia.
Chinese authorities could not immediately be reached for comment. Beijing has rejected suggestions that its Mekong dams harm downstream countries.
(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Kay Johnson; Edited by Martin Petty)
