Vietnam to Ask Mekong River Countries to Release Water from Hydro Dams

Vietnam’s outgoing Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has requested the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam Mekong River Committee to immediately send diplomatic notes to countries in upper Mekong River to ask them to open hydropower dams and release water. The move came after the government leader inspected the Mekong Delta which is suffered from ongoing severe droughts and sea water intrusion. According to the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, the ongoing droughts and salinization is caused by En Nino and the low water flow in the Mekong River due to giant hydropower dams of China and Laos in the upper stream. Countries in the upper part of the Mekong River should share water flow information and open their giant dams to release more water for the lower part, PM Dung said. Dung also said the government will allocate VND140 billion ($6.3 million) for provinces affected by the droughts and salinization. He asked authorities in the affected areas to seek long-term measures to deal with natural calamities to protect crop cultivation in the Mekong Delta. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, around one million hectares of rice and other crops in the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands are suffered from the ongoing droughts and salinization. As many as 140,000 ha of rice in the delta suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile, China and Laos have built dozens of giant hydropower plants in the upper part of the Mekong River without getting consultation with the countries in the lower part of the river as well as the international bodies. Many scientists and environmentalists have warned that Chinese and Lao hydropower plants will affect agriculture and livelihood of 20 millions of people in the lower part of the river. The Vietnamese Mekong Delta will be the most vulnerable by the giant dams of Laos and China which significantly reduce water flow in the river. (Thanh Nien – Young People Mar 7)