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CHINESE DAMS ON THE MEKONG RIVER

Hydroelectricity is currently China's primary source of renewable energy. Environmental pollution and insufficient reservoirs for fossil fuels have been increasingly serious problems in China since 2000. In 2014, President Xi announced that the country would commit to curbing air pollution, pledging to peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. To achieve this goal while maintaining its energy independence, China has been rushing to construct numerous mega-dams, gradually switching to hydropower as the main source of renewable energy. One of China's plans to sustain its ever-increasing energy needs was to make the best use of its geopolitical advantages of the Mekong River. China has successfully constructed and put into operation eleven giant dams along the upper basin of the Mekong, impounding an amount of water equivalent to that of the Chesapeake Bay. With another eleven dams either under planned or construction, China is causing erratic changes in water levels of the lower-basin regions, the South East Asian countries.

Even though China has received many recognitions for its investment in renewable energy, its dam construction creates devastating effects on the Mekong delta, putting millions of lives on the line, raising criticism worldwide on the ethics of these constructions. More than simple applications of scientific knowledge, there is a greater demand for China to act in a morally responsible way.

Name	Location	Status	Installed Capacity (MW)	Water Storage Capacity (cubic meters)
Wunonglong		Operational	990	284,000,000
Lidi		Operational	420	75,000,000
Huangdeng		Operational	1900	1,613,000,000
Dahuaqiao		Operational	900	293,000,000
Miaowei		Operational	1400	660,000,000
Gongguoqlao		Operational	900	120,000,000
Xiaowan		Operational	4200	15,000,000,000
Manwan		Operational	1750	920,000,000
Dachaoshan		Operational	1250	940,000,000
Nuozhadu		Operational	5850	27,490,000,000
Jinhong		Operational	1750	249,000,000
Tuoba		Under Construction
Ganlanba		Under Construction
Mengsong		Under Construction
Linchang		Planned
Cege		Planned
Yuelong		Planned
Banda		Planned
Rumei		Planned
Guxue		Planned
Gushui		Planned
Guonian		Planned

Natural History of the Mekong River

The Mekong River is the twelfth longest river in the world and the Asian third-longest country. Its estimated length is 4909km, running through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Draining an area of 795,000 km², the Mekong is the most biodiverse of any river in the world.

Geopolitics

• The Mekong originates in the Tibet plateau, flowing through this autonomous region to other cities in Southeast China. The river then meets the China-Myanmar border, where it continues to flow along the border until it arrives at the border of China, Myanmar, and Laos. From this tri-point, the river defines the dividing line between Myanmar and Laos until it reaches the Golden Triangle, the meeting point of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. The Mekong continues to flow along the border of Laos-Thai until it takes a Southward turn to cross through Cambodia. This is the beginning of the complex Mekong Delta. The Mekong enters Vietnam from the east, branching into the Tiền River, the Mỹ Tho River, the Ba Lai River, the Hàm Luông River, and the Cổ Chiên River.
  • Upper basin: given its more elevated location, the part of the Mekong River in China is considered the upper basin, making up 24% of the total area and 15-20% of the water flows.
  • Lower Basin: the lower region in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam

Support Livelihood

• Wild capture and agricultural fisheries are the main source of food and income for the people living in the lower region of the basin, which exceeds 60 millions in 2010.
• Aquatic captures make up of 47-80% of proteins in the diet of people living along the Mekong Delta.
• The flood plains of the Mekong delta provide sandy and saline soils for agricultural crops such as glutinous rice, maize, cassava, and wet rice.

Devastating Effects of Chinese Dams

China's dams turned off the water tap during the wet season and release more water during the dry season, significantly alter the usual flows of water to the lower basin regions, causing severe drought, unexpected floods, destruction of aquatic habitats. 11 mega-dam operate in a co-ordinated fashion that block the water-flow downstream to allow the country prepare for the next dry season. From 1992 to 2019, China's Mekong dams were recorded to store consistently increasing reservoir of water during the wet season. The life cycles of migratory fishes and birds were also severely impacted when the natural seasonal fluctuations were interrupted.

Drought in the lower Mekong Basin

• In 2016, the Mekong Delta went through the worst devastating drought that had ever been recorded.
• In 2019, during the 6 months that the portion of Mekong river in China receives either high or average precipitation levels, the downstream regions went through another severe and unexpected drought in history. This was the year that the Nuozhadu dam started its full operation in China.
  • 17 provinces along the Mekong downstream declared emergency drought

Sudden flood events

• In 2002, 2012-2013, 2014, the Mekong Delta recorded a surprisingly high water level during the dry season

Impacts on people's lives

Vietnam

• In 2016, majority of rice crops were destroyed, which was $670 millions in capitol, causing a difficult year for 2 million farmers of the region.
• In 2019, the population of Mekong delta in Vietnam experienced food insecurity, loss of income, and hygiene related diseases due to low rainfall.
• Drought and saltwater intrusion caused a huge drop in rice production.

Thailand

• In December of 2013, sudden release of water from upstream dams led to a 10-day flood in Chiang Rai without prior notification.
• In 2019, drought and saltwater intrusion caused a huge drop in rice production.

Efforts to Negotiate

• Mekong River Commission (MRC)

References

http://www.mrcmekong.org/assets/Publications/basin-reports/MRC-SOB-report-2010full-report.pdf

https://reliefweb.int/report/viet-nam/vietnam-drought-and-saltwater-intrusion-emergency-plan-action-epoa-dref-operation-2