China has reportedly taken measures to limit the flow on the Mekong River, resulting in low water levels in neighboring countries. This includes Cambodia and Thailand, which have suffered from a severe drought during the dry season of 2019-2020. Beijing has disputed the findings, blaming low rainfall during the 2019 monsoon season for the low water levels downstream. However, analysis of surface wetness in China’s Yunnan province, through which the Upper Mekong river flows, suggests above-average rainfall during the 2019 wet season.
The Mekong river supports roughly 60 million people as it flows past Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and through Cambodia and Vietnam. The agricultural production of countries connected to the Lower Mekong faces significant risks depending on the water flows upstream. Restrictions to the flow of water from upstream can have disastrous effects on countries downstream, exacerbating the effects of drought and limiting food production.
Click here to read our Report on Chinese Mekong Dominance: Hydropower in Southeast Asia.
