Quote:Mekong drastically dry

Chinese hydro-electric dams contribute to severely low water levels impeding river navigation

By Nauvarat Suksamran

The arrival of the dry season and the emergence of two mega-dam projects in China have contributed to severe drying of the Mekong river, with water levels dropping to less than one metre in many sections. Hardest hit are cargo boats, which are taking a month to complete a journey that normally takes three days between Chiang Saen district in Chiang Rai province and China's Xihoungbanna in Yunnan province.

''Boats have to navigate the river in groups of three or four with a crewman leading the way, periodically using a long stick to check the water level,'' said cruise manager Yu Yan.

''Though shallow, the currents are very strong because they have to go through a narrow channel,'' she said, noting that cargo ships cannot navigate in water less than 1.2-metres deep.

''Besides there are islets and reefs, large and small. We can see the remains of boats which sunk after crashing into reefs. Sometimes, boats must stay anchored until China releases water every three to four days,'' he said.

The worst is yet to come. China is now building a third dam, Xiaowan, in a series of eight hydro-electric dams it plans for the Mekong river in a bid to counter floods and retain water.

This could intensify problems already caused by the two existing Chinese dams, Manwan and Dachaoshan. But China has the upper hand because one-third of the 4,900km river which forms in Tibet is in China.

Apart from China, the Mekong river is a lifeline for millions of people in the downstream countries of Burma, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The river has survived a fierce development war, which ranged from islet destruction by explosives for pier construction and better navigation to dam construction in upstream China.

Chiang Saen district customs chief Patcharadit Sinsawasdi said China releases water from upstream dams every three to five days due to dam construction. The water crisis is likely to continue until 2010, when the third dam will be finished.

''The Economic Quadrangle meeting will be held next month to talk about the dredging of the Mekong river. China and Thailand have already agreed in principle last year, but Laos and Burma have not made up their minds,'' he said.

He said trade at the Chiang Saen checkpoint in Chiang Rai amounted to eight billion baht a year, while Chiang Khong and Mae Sai district in the same province reported trade of two billion baht.

Immigration chief Sa Lun, of Soap Lui pier in Wa's special administration zone 911 in Burma, said fewer cargo ship arrivals means hard times for pier labourers and the 70 householders in Soap Lui village.

Sharing the same fate is the tourism industry. Maekhong Delta Travel Agency in Chiang Rai's Chiang Khong district has had to call off its new passenger boat to Luang Prabang in Laos because the Mekong river is no longer accessible by large cruiser.

Agency owner Pagaimas Viera said: ''We had to adjust our tour programmes from an overnight stay in a 20-room pleasure boat to a one-day trip by small tour boat to nearby destinations. We have to keep abreast of water levels.''

Kaenchan, who operates a hotel in Huai Xai in Laos, said tourists who travel by boat to Luang Prabang at Huai Xai pier have dropped sharply in the drought.

''Fishermen have caught fewer fish. We have no idea why all the fish disappeared,'' he said. ''Smoke from bushfires billow from both sides of the Mekong river. The air pollution has caused poor visibility.''

But the drying of the Mekong is a golden opportunity for Noi Jettana, a supplier of river stones to decorate gardens. She is among locals from Don Mahawan village in Chiang Rai's Chiang Khong district who earn income as river stone suppliers. Their stones adorn many resorts and hotels throughout the country.

Millions of people cannot wait for April to pass, after which they hope water levels in the river will return to normal .

Then a container ship from a Thai-Chinese joint-venture will set sail on the Mekong river for the first time, carrying fresh fruits and vegetables from Thailand to southern China.

An oil tanker in transit through Thailand is also destined to go to China. Five large cranes, destined for use on dam construction in China, will also be carried up the river.

Bangkokpost April 1, 2007

Communist China and Laos are really displaying community spirit by not minding what happens downstream if they divert all the water for their hydropower dams.
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