Greenwire: A massive drought isn’t just causing problems for farmers and townspeople in China. It has also created a public relations problem as neighbors are blaming the drought on China’s dams.
Despite scientific evidence that low rainfall has caused the region’s worst drought in at least 50 years, countries along the Mekong River — including Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam — have criticized China for building four dams along its portion of the 3,000-mile river. Those countries are meeting this weekend to discuss the drought, and Thailand promises to seek “more information, more cooperation and more coordination” from China, according to government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn.
China has launched a media campaign to counter the dam accusations, including news conferences and seminar appearances. This is a blow to China’s bid to be more friendly in the region and could create roadblocks to plans to build more than 80 new hydropower projects along the Mekong and its tributaries.
Jeremy Bird, the chief executive officer of the Mekong River Commission, said the river is volatile and has experienced droughts and floods throughout its history. He also noted that as water shortages have grown in recent weeks, China has released water from its dams to raise the river level. Bird believes even more dams in China could help by storing water to be released when smaller droughts occur.
The drought has hit China and surrounding countries hard. Thailand officials say the water shortages have reached at least 14,000 villages and farmers are engaging in “water wars” to get enough sustenance for their crops (Thomas Fuller, New York Times, April 1). – JP