Boat Services Suspended As Level Of Mekong Plunges

[webfact]

Boat services suspended as level of Mekong plunges

By Krissana Wilamat,

Charnyut Khottham,

Chinapat Chaimon,

Mayuree Akraban

The Nation

CHIANG RAI: -- Many large boats and ferries have had to suspend services on the Mekong River due to the extremely low water level.

No cargo ships have cruised up and down the stretch of the Mekong in Chiang Rai for several weeks.

"Big boats can only sail along the river with a depth of at least 2 metres but the Mekong is now running dry," Sanyan Piyanont, a 53-year-old boat operator, said yesterday.

Wassana Mongkhonklee, an executive of a transport company in Chiang Rai, said some products could not be shipped out.

"I believe the damage to the export sector is well over Bt100 million during the past month," she said.

Apisit Khampilo, Chiang Rai marine chief, said he had received many complaints that the Mekong was running so low that ship navigation was impossible.

"We're going to petition the Committee on Coordination of Commercial Navigation on the Lancang-Mekong River among China, Laos, Myanmar [burma] and Thailand [JCCN] for help," he said.

He expects the JCCN to arrange negotiations to ensure that ship movements are possible along the entire stretch of the Mekong throughout the year.

Many people suspect that China-based dams are the main reasons the Mekong's water level has been getting so low this year.

Kanokwan Manorom, a lecturer at Ubon Ratchathani University, said the sinking water level in the Mekong had both economic and social repercussions.

"When farmers cannot rely on water from the Mekong, many of them will have to seek new jobs and change their way of life," she said.

China should think about the peoples of down-river countries too, she said.

If China agreed to become a member of the Mekong River Commission, all countries involved might be able to find solutions to the water-level crisis in the Mekong, she said.

Only Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam are members of the commission.

"We have to hold forums to inform China that people down river are suffering. China should understand that the Mekong is an international level. It does not belong to China alone," she said.

On February 21, leisure cruises between Thailand's Chiang Rai and Laos' Luang Prabang also came to a halt.

"Some operators have continued their service by making extra efforts. They have to carefully avoid low spots. Instead of spending just 30 or 45 minutes in the river, their trip takes up to two hours," said Somsuk Khutakaphan, the Nakhon Phanom-based deputy chief of the Bueng Kan Customs Checkpoint.

If the Mekong continues to drop like this, motorised ferryboats will vanish from this international waterway within five years, he said.

Mongkhon Tansuwan, chairman of the Nakhon Phanom Chamber of Commerce, said the Mekong was just 35-centimetres deep in some places.

"This is the worst in three decades," he said.

Riverside resorts, which usually offer beds in floating rooms, now see their facilities resting on the exposed riverbed instead.

-- The Nation 2010-03-04

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[Thailand]

Sad to see.

I had heard, as mentioned in the post, that China has been/is damming parts of the upper Mekong if that is the case then immediate negotiations need to be made with China by ALL the effected countries governments.

[katasyd]

Just came back from Luang Prabang.

The water is very low and the people are worried because China is controlling the flow at their hydroelectric dams.

Very sad indeed.

[RickBradford]

China, with its upstream dams, holds the future of 7 million Cambodians and 25 million Vietnamese in the palm of its hand.

It is an excellent bargaining tool.

[RKASA]

Only water diversion, lack of snow pack melt, or lack of rain will cause lower levels. Making electricity requires a level behind the dam, but once reached it is maintained by allowing the same amount out as in. It is the high level of water behind the dam that make the pressure to make power. That is why Hydro dams form vary nice resort lakes.

Irrigation dams have massive changes in water level and store water for release to make up for lower river levels which are caused by farmers diverting the river water to farm land in the dry season. A new dam near here is for irrigation and the projected level changes are 90 meters. Still many are buying what they think will be a resort property vary soon. ????

If it is ex termly cold in the upper water sheds, there might be currently less pack melt and or a delay in the pack melt. Then look out because you end up with water out your ears, but if managed properly the dams themself would not be a source of the lower levels.

Taking mass amounts of water not stored in advance by an irrigation dam is more likely the problem, its a cheaper method then building dams.

[jonclark]

And the response from China to this is.............waiting..........waiting ........

Once again China shows no interest as long as it can provide for its own people. China will never interfer in the domestic issues of other countries, which this is.

[moetownblues]

Sad to see.

I had heard, as mentioned in the post, that China has been/is damming parts of the upper Mekong if that is the case then immediate negotiations need to be made with China by ALL the effected countries governments.

China could not really care less about anything outside it's borders attempting negotiations would be pointless.

[jonclark]

Sad to see.

I had heard, as mentioned in the post, that China has been/is damming parts of the upper Mekong if that is the case then immediate negotiations need to be made with China by ALL the effected countries governments.

China could not really care less about anything outside it's borders attempting negotiations would be pointless.

Sad....but true.

[animatic]

Lets silently let China shut off the taps for all peoples down stream,

and then kow tow to them over the Dali Lama's sister...

Thanks China, you are such a good neighbor.

[jonclark]

What the OP fails to mention is the environmental impact of this on the wildlife. Both the organisms which live in the river and those which live in the river catchment and rely on it as a source of water.

[webfact]

The topic continues here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Water-Wars-E...ry-t344360.html

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