Eight Chinese dams block 40 billion cubic meters of water from Mekong River

[webfact]

Eight Chinese dams block 40 billion cubic meters of water from Mekong River

 

(Photo) International Rivers

 

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.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/eight-chinese-dams-block-40-billion-cubic-meters-of-water-from-mekong-river/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-07-22

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[BuckBee]

Nothing to see here folks, they you friends and your great newly elected prime ministers project backers.

the environment and livelihood of those needing river water are simply not a concern while Buck Banana and General Rolex stuffing cash in bags in their cellars and transferring funds to the offshore self emergency accounts , if they hungry enough they can get jobs ironing the supreme prime ministers silk shirts and doing rotation of Generals watches, borrowed watches of course ????

Chinese pretty much got asia boot licked and rest of world up the duffer as greed of offshore child labour and no concerns on production waste have made china the potential new master rather than the child slave .

 

[smedly]

get the Subs in the water and show them you mean business 

 

 

what water   ?

 

China has taken all the water

 

China is my friend 

[ezzra]

I move that all the countries that are affected, declare war on China! Err. no, China too strong, or, stop Chinese from entering and visiting Thailand! No, not good, we need their money, Ok i know, stop buying Chinese products! not good again, than they'll stop buying our products, Ok this one, tell China to go to hell! really, and risk the support of powerful China?

ok, you know what, forget it, let them build more dams and keep the water, we will make do with the leftovers...

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

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

next step, china extorts money from the affected countries to let water flow

[Puchaiyank]

The Chinese are everywhere around the world mining resources to send back home to keep their billions of consumers happy...get use to it...the colleateral damage will be enormous...water shortage in subservient countries is quite acceptable to their new dynasty...

[holy cow cm]

And they are just finding this out now that they have dams which cause detrimental damage to the down stream countries and people? Not that China cares as China only cares about Chinese government. And Laos and Thailand are yet building another one in cahoots with China. This is actually something that war should sprout from.

[wisperone]

Well I have said several times in this forum in regards to articles relating to water shortages...."you ain't seen nothing yet...wait till the Chinese stop the flow of water south".  I've seen this coming for years. The more the glaciers disappear in the Himalayas, the more the Chinese will stop the water flow south.  If anyone thinks the Chinese care if SEA gets a water supply or not, think again. You ain't seen nothing yet.

[simon43]

Well, it won't only be water that countries can be held ransom for.  Those dams generated much-needed electricity for countries such as Thailand.  Close up the dams, switch of the electricity and you've got these countries begging and subservient.

 

China ain't stupid....

[RotBenz8888]

Thailand is really thirsting for the Chinese in many aspects. If they stop the flow of people traveling to Thailand, that'll break the back of Thai economy.

[holy cow cm]

Wisperone has a point. Dams seem to not be not a sustainable energy anymore with the lack of rain and snow melt. Well at least for the down stream countries. Unfortunately nuclear is almost better but you don't trust a baby with stick of dynamite, and coal, if they could ever make a clean clean burning functional facility... But they can't!. So, we should all probably turn toward the sun as our best best even Hydrogen power if they would ever release the advances. But won't as it kills other industry.

[lamyai3]

The writing's on the dam(n) wall here. 

[wgdanson]

Just thinking. If the Chinese release enough water to power their hydro-electric stations, will that same water not flow down to the next power station and so on. The water does not disappear after it has been used.

[Geoffggi]

I remember reading recently that these low levels were only supposed to be temporary, so how long does temporary mean.....???

[kirbi53]

China probably turned them on all at once. 

Just say if China did this China just said F you without saying it to 

Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam

 

Just a thought one of Mother Nature's longest rivers completely f'ed. 

May as well turn it into an autobahn style highway

 

 

[djayz]

It's human nature to always look out for yourself first and China, like every other country on this planet, is doing exactly that. 

Unfortunately, the people and countries in the riparian regions affected by the lower water levels will have to learn to adapt. It's a case of sink or swim (no pun intended). 

[worgeordie]

The wily Chinese,they know you control the water ,you control 

the people, I predict in the future Water is going to be like Oil,

wars are going to be fought over it,in some parts of the World.

regards worgeordie

[malathione]

Just FYI, flow from China is most important in the dry season when it contributes 24% of the volume. Average volume of flow from China over the year is 16%. The problem this year is the failure of rains as well as the trial run of the Xayaburi dam in Laos more than anything else.

[djayz]

2 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

The Chinese are everywhere around the world mining resources to send back home to keep their billions of consumers happy...get use to it...the colleateral damage will be enormous...water shortage in subservient countries is quite acceptable to their new dynasty...

The only reason they are mining, building infrastructure, etc. in certain countries (definitely not "everywhere around the world" as you claim) is because those underdeveloped/developing countries let them in in return for a few million dollars and a few bilateral trade agreements. China is currently one of the very few countries (maybe even the only country?) which has the necessary small change to hand out to these developing countries in return for their mining rights. 

"We" have made China the economic powerhouse it is - like it or not. 

[hashmodha]

4 hours ago, BuckBee said:

Nothing to see here folks, they you friends and your great newly elected prime ministers project backers.

the environment and livelihood of those needing river water are simply not a concern while Buck Banana and General Rolex stuffing cash in bags in their cellars and transferring funds to the offshore self emergency accounts , if they hungry enough they can get jobs ironing the supreme prime ministers silk shirts and doing rotation of Generals watches, borrowed watches of course ????

Chinese pretty much got asia boot licked and rest of world up the duffer as greed of offshore child labour and no concerns on production waste have made china the potential new master rather than the child slave .

 

Spot on....Who owns the rights of Mekong River?

[justin case]

time to grow drought resistant crops ... hemp ?

[morocco]

17 minutes ago, djayz said:

The only reason they are mining, building infrastructure, etc. in certain countries (definitely not "everywhere around the world" as you claim) is because those underdeveloped/developing countries let them in in return for a few million dollars and a few bilateral trade agreements. China is currently one of the very few countries (maybe even the only country?) which has the necessary small change to hand out to these developing countries in return for their mining rights. 

"We" have made China the economic powerhouse it is - like it or not. 

"(definitely not"everywhere around the world" as you claim)"

How wrong you are my friend.

[car720]

3 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

 

It wasn't Socialism that killed 30 million.

 

It's just what the Chinese do.

 

They've being doing it for centuries:

 

Taiping Rebellion - Wikipedia

"Since the rebellion began in Guangxi, Qing forces allowed no rebels speaking its dialect to surrender. Reportedly in the province of Guangdong, it is written that 1,000,000 were executed because after the collapse of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Qing Dynasty launched waves of massacres against the Hakkas, killing up to 30,000 each day during the height of the massacres. These policies of mass murder of civilians occurred elsewhere in China, including Anhui, and Nanjing."

 

Total death toll during the conflict (1850-64)

"Estimates of the war dead range from 20–70 million to as high as 100 million, with millions more displaced."

 

(And the US grieves over the paltry 620,00 dead of it's "terrible" 19th century war of the Confederate rebellion).

 

It's the Chinese way, it's what they do.

 

Same with the monstrosities of the so called "socialist" Stalin.......that was just the Russian way.

 

 

 

 

Someone who actually bothers to read.

[car720]

is anyone aware that the 3 gorges main dam has widened by 40 metres and they are not able to stop it.  Those in the know are terrified of a major, major disaster very soon.

[Isaan sailor]

“Thailand be dammed”. Communist China

[uncleeagle]

nothing but brazen and vile greed, arrogance and the sensitivity of a child...and yet the west allowed this monster to grow and now certain regional countries seriously expect to be friends?

[Rimmer]

Some troll and off topic posts removed also replies

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

I move that all the countries that are affected, declare war on China! Err. no, China too strong, or, stop Chinese from entering and visiting Thailand! No, not good, we need their money, Ok i know, stop buying Chinese products! not good again, than they'll stop buying our products, Ok this one, tell China to go to hell! really, and risk the support of powerful China?

ok, you know what, forget it, let them build more dams and keep the water, we will make do with the leftovers...

I'm waiting for the smart Chinese entrepreneur to bottle it & sell it back to them !!

[pieeyed]

And people wonder why the Mekong is low in rainy season? DAAH? 

[Happy Grumpy]

A proper Superpower. Not weak like America. 

 

Well done for them properly managing their own water.