Why is China Damming the Mekong?

China has constructed 11 giant dams along the mountainous territory of the Upper Mekong to sustain its ever-increasing energy needs. The management of water flows has long been a concern for many living along the river.

How is China destroying the Mekong River?

Beijing [China], July 14 (ANI): China’s construction of large hydropower dams along the River Mekong is causing problems downriver, leaving the region dry having devastating impacts on water availability and the fertile soil that feeds hundreds of millions of people in Southeast Asia.

What are the two main problems that the Mekong River is facing?

The Mekong River ecosystem is on the verge of irreversible collapse due to the accumulative effects of climate change and increased numbers of upstream dams as well as other human-made activities such as deforestation, sand mining, extensive irrigation for agriculture and wetland conversion.

Does the Mekong River go through China?

The Mekong River is one of the world’s great rivers. Covering a distance of nearly 5,000 km from its source on the Tibetan Plateau in China to the Mekong Delta, the river flows through six countries: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Viet Nam.

Is the Mekong River saltwater or freshwater?

The Mekong River provides freshwater for these ecosystems and for agriculture, fisheries, drinking water, transportation, and energy. Every year, saltwater intrusion, or the presence of saltwater in inland rivers or groundwater, renders freshwater resources unusable for agriculture or drinking.

Where is the origin of Mekong River?

Lasagongma Spring
Mekong River/Sources

Are there dams on the Mekong River?

China completed its first mainstream hydropower dam on the Mekong, the Manwan dam in Yunnan province, in 1995, and has since planned and built 10 more. It flows through the Lower Mekong Basin countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, where it reaches the South China Sea.

Why is the Mekong River at Risk?

Two main risks include the obstruction of the estimated 600 migratory fish species that swim to their spawning ground and the trapping of sediment by dams upstream that prohibits the replenishment of the delta’s nutrients.

How is the water in the Mekong River used?

The Mekong River has many uses to modern man including irrigation, domestic water, industrial water, transportation, fisheries, and power generation.

What would happen if the Mekong River was threatened?

It would irreversibly change the ecosystem that over 60 million people rely on for food, and will likely result in the extinction of the iconic Mekong giant catfish and other fish species.

Why is the Mekong River Significant?

The Mekong River connects China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam physically and economically. The river is a lifeline for the entire basin, sustaining economies and livelihoods across the entire region.

Is Mekong River a new front in US-China rivalry?

BANGKOK (Reuters) – The Mekong River has become a new front in U.S.-China rivalry, environmentalists and officials say, with Beijing overtaking Washington in both spending and influence over downstream countries at the mercy of its control of the river’s waters.

Is China hoarding the Mekong River water?

The US is now accusing China of “hoarding” the Mekong river water which imperils the food, water and resources of the Southeast Asian economies. China is the upstream Mekong River country, whereas the Southeast Asian nations- Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are all downstream or the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) countries.

What is the state of the Mekong River?

The state of the Mekong is an urgent worry for the 60 million people who depend on it for farming and fishing as it flows from China, where it is known as the Lancang, through Southeast Asia before emptying into the sea from Vietnam’s delta. Last year saw record drought, with Lower Mekong river levels the lowest in decades.

What is happening to the lower Mekong?

Last year saw record drought, with Lower Mekong river levels the lowest in decades. Fewer and smaller fish catches have been reported for years.