MRC: Dams Not Main Cause of Low Mekong River Level

• Samphors Sao
• 12 August 2020
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The Mekong River Commission has asserted that dams are not the main cause for lowering the water level of the Mekong River, but rather drought, climate change, and El Niño are the principal causes which differs from the opinions of other environmental experts.

Secretary-General of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee Te Navuth said at a press conference on 11 August that hydropower dams reserve or trap water in the Mekong River, which could cause inconsistency in water cycles but does not decrease water levels.

“The dam does not consume water. It just traps and discharges water to generate electricity. Dams control the amount of water by reducing it during the rainy season and adding more in the dry season. However, drought, climate change, and El Niño are the main factors reducing water level,” Mr Te explained.

This claim is quite different from Senior Fellow and Director of the Washington-based Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia program Brian Eyler who said that a huge number of dam constructions on the upstream Mekong River, especially in China and Laos, have caused a sharp decrease in the water levels of the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap River in Cambodia. (Read more)

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