webfact Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Drought crisis: Mekong running dry - kilometers of "beach" Thai caption: Mekong River running dry Picture: 77kaoded 77kaoded reported that kilometers of the Mekong River were now beaches as the ongoing drought crisis hits Thailand. Levels in the river are 1.6 meters. They spoke to a fisherman called Bunmee, 60, who said that the Mekong has changed dramatically. It used to be a murky river but now is running clear. He can catch few fish and not the species he used to net. He blamed dams upstream. He said that in order to get to his boat for fishing these days he has to ride his motorcycle over the sands. Source: 77kaoded LINE_MOVIE_1578387601029.mp4 -- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-01-08 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post keith101 Posted January 8, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2020 I just came back from Savanakhet and the Mekong was well up with no beach in sight as the bus was going over the bridge back into Mukdahan . 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Bob Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Looks pretty bad, based on the numbers/charts. My wife was at Chiang Khan yesterday and there was plenty of "beach". http://www.mrcmekong.org/mrc/river-monitoring/dry-season-vientiane 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legend49 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 New tourist attraction; today we have pink rice and new beaches on the Mekong. How good is that! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ireland32 Posted January 8, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2020 Thailand needs to push back on China , They are outta Control 5 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 So just where is the big river water getting stopped/diverted at? And by whom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotchilli Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 3 hours ago, webfact said: 77kaoded reported that kilometers of the Mekong River were now beaches as the ongoing drought crisis hits Thailand. Make a good rice paddy with water nearby ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJRS1301 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 1 hour ago, legend49 said: New tourist attraction; today we have pink rice and new beaches on the Mekong. How good is that! I guess although I would venture into the Mekong for fear of skin conditions, no plastic in sight on that beach 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post RJRS1301 Posted January 8, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2020 6 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said: So just where is the big river water getting stopped/diverted at? And by whom? I seem to recall the Chinese doing something to it some time ago 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) 6 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said: I seem to recall the Chinese doing something to it some time ago Wanna be more specific? Perhaps a link or citation or two? Keith just posted above that there was plenty of water, and no beach, in the Mekong on his recent passing thru Vientiane, Laos.... Edited January 8, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJRS1301 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said: Wanna be more specific? Perhaps a link or citation or two? No I said I SEEM to recall, you can do your research. I may well be incorrect. But I am not, just checked feel free to do the same Edited January 8, 2020 by RJRS1301 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said: No I said I SEEM to recall, you can do your research. I may well be incorrect. I have no personal knowledge on this particular topic. That's why I was asking... But it appears, Thailand also has been a player itself in poorly managed/executed Mekong River water diversion. https://www.internationalrivers.org/blogs/259/water-diversion-a-re-emerging-threat-to-mekong-water-security A bit of a broader, multi-country view: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/mekong-more-dams-more-damage Quote The great biodiversity and precious resources of the Mekong are increasingly endangered by the rush to dam one of the world’s great rivers. A total of 11 mainstream dams and 120 dams on tributaries are planned, which scientists warn will imperil the already fragile river system. Recent studies call for a suspension and review of future projects. Edited January 8, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 And Laos as well: Quote ...the ambitious agenda of Laos, one of the region’s poorest countries, to turn itself into “the battery of Southeast Asia” by building dozens of hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River and its tributaries and selling power to neighboring countries. Last year, Laos had 46 such power plants operating and 54 more planned or under construction. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:si5QVzgWBEIJ:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/08/news-southeast-asia-building-dams-floods-climate-change/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us Quote China started damming the Mekong in the early 1990s, but the main river has stayed undammed largely due to regional cooperation between the four member nations of the Mekong River Commission, which was established in 1995. Energy needs and the financial incentives of hydropower, however, caused land-locked Laos to announce more than a decade ago that it would build nine dams on the main river, as well as dozens of new dams on Mekong tributaries. Cambodia and Vietnam soon launched their own dam projects. Many of the tributary dams are now up and running, with Laos exporting close to $1 billion in electricity in the first nine months of 2017. The first of the new projects on the main stem of the Mekong—the Xayaburi dam in northern Laos—is expected to go online next year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPI Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 44 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said: So just where is the big river water getting stopped/diverted at? And by whom? China! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post NE1 Posted January 8, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2020 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toenail Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Despite water shortages, the waist of water during Songkron will continue. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pdavies99 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) Nong Khai, the Mekong is perfectly okay, usual height, flowing well, nothing special about it! More likely too many farmers pumping out water downstream? Edited January 8, 2020 by Pdavies99 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post zyphodb Posted January 8, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2020 3 hours ago, keith101 said: I just came back from Savanakhet and the Mekong was well up with no beach in sight as the bus was going over the bridge back into Mukdahan . The Mekong at Mukdahan is the lowest I've ever seen it, just because there're no beaches doesn't mean it isn't REALLY low... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) 9 minutes ago, NE1 said: What's the source, and dating, of that map? The above info I posted makes it sound like the other SE nations are doing their share of the damage as well. Edited January 8, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worgeordie Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Not looking good, and it's a long time till it rains again. If you seen the Grand Tour, while they were in Cambodia, the Tonle Sap was very short of water,hardly navigable, regards worgeordie 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pdavies99 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, keith101 said: I just came back from Savanakhet and the Mekong was well up with no beach in sight as the bus was going over the bridge back into Mukdahan . Looks okay to me at Nong Khai! I can only assume the Ban Khoum dam is the issue in Laos downstream! Edited January 8, 2020 by Pdavies99 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE1 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 13 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said: What's the source, and dating, of that map? https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2019/08/china-taking-control-of-the-flow-of-the-most-important-river-in-southeast-asia.html There is another link for more info. when you open this link. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfill Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 14 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said: What's the source, and dating, of that map? The above info I posted makes it sound like the other SE nations are doing their share of the damage as well. That map is from 2013. An updated version (upd 2017) can be found here https://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/mekong-mainstream-dams-map-16481 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvorLott Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 I wonder how long ASEAN will continue to 'embrace' the Chinese? Colossal, unchecked, environmental destruction in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, Eating as much endangered wildlife from the region as they fancy will keep giving them perk-ons, threatening embargos on those who oppose their archaic regime and their revolting imperialism. A disgraceful, bullying nation which needs to be called to account. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Yasobill Posted January 8, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2020 Looks like the Columbia River in Washington State. Tons of dams, tons of cheap power produced, but an ecological disaster created. The largest runs of Pacific Salmon on earth have been reduced to a mere trickle as their upriver migratory spawning path has been restricted and the down river path for the smolt/babies is effectively a blender now. This is happening on the Mekong too as their are similar migratory paths for many species of fish in the river. The River feeds millions of people, tough to do with no fish...just sayin 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pdavies99 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) 8 minutes ago, mrfill said: That map is from 2013. An updated version (upd 2017) can be found here https://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/mekong-mainstream-dams-map-16481 Well looking at that, and my photos of the river and Nong khai which I believe is probably north of Udon Than, then I can only surmise the issue is the dam at Ban Koum in Laos? (Not trying to argumentative! ) Edited January 8, 2020 by Pdavies99 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 8 minutes ago, NE1 said: https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2019/08/china-taking-control-of-the-flow-of-the-most-important-river-in-southeast-asia.html There is another link for more info. when you open this link. Ya, this would be the better link source from last year: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3021062/china-taking-control-vital-mekong-river-through-dam-building-spree-mike Quote But severe drought in Thailand has put China’s Mekong vision under rare global scrutiny. Last month the Mekong River Commission said river levels in June and July had dropped to “among the lowest on record”. Quote Beijing’s foreign minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that China had released more water to “help Thailand”. “Thailand’s suffering is China’s suffering,” he said. When the article says "Beijing-backed" dams without elaborating, I'm guessing it also means the dams being built in Laos and Cambodia, which these days might well be considered puppet state of China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJRS1301 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 2 minutes ago, IvorLott said: I wonder how long ASEAN will continue to 'embrace' the Chinese? Colossal, unchecked, environmental destruction in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, Eating as much endangered wildlife from the region as they fancy will keep giving them perk-ons, threatening embargos on those who oppose their archaic regime and their revolting imperialism. A disgraceful, bullying nation which needs to be called to account. China does not care, they own them all through the"Belt and Road" initative , these countries will never be able to repay the loans, the infrastructure is owned by China, so they can either put up with bully or >>>> Sun Tzu the "art of War" in 500 bc staed use economics, drugs etc rather than manpower, walk in easier. Shame western leaders and other Asian leader had not read it 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJRS1301 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said: When the article says "Beijing-backed" dams without elaborating, I'm guessing it also means the dams being built in Laos and Cambodia, which these days might well be considered puppet state of China. All part of the Belt and Road initative 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcatcher Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 1 hour ago, Ireland32 said: Thailand needs to push back on China , They are outta Control GOLIATH DAVID I agree 100%. China may be outta control, but Thailand is nearly outta water. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now