ABC Radio Australia
Regional nations along the Mekong river delta are holding talks with China, amid fears that Chinese dams upstream are depleting the vital waterway, plunging it to its lowest levels in decades. Leaders from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, will meet with high level delegates from China and Burma, to sign an historic declaration on how to manage the Mekong River. It follows a two-day meeting of the Mekong River Commission - the first of its kind in its 15 year history. The record low water levels in the Mekong is threatening the livelihood of over 60 million people who depend on it for their survival.
Presenter: Sen Lam
Speakers: Carl Middleton, Mekong Program Coordinator with non government organisation International Rivers
Listen: Windows MediaMIDDLETON: Well at the moment the situation is not clear. Obviously the low rainfall has contributed significantly to the drought but the problem is that the data hasn't been released, complete sets of data, about the operation of China's management upstream, and so that's created some suspicions downstream that their projects may be contributing in some way.
LAM: Indeed I understand some member countries of the Mekong River Commission are saying that China is showing some reluctance to sharing its data?
MIDDLETON: Actually what we've seen is some unprecedented steps for increasing data sharing. Until now, the Chinese hadn't released any dry season data, but for the current drought they've released dry season data from the two lower stations on the river. But they've just completed a new project that started filling its reservoir last year, and they haven't yet released the data for the water levels in that new dam, which is one of the highest arch-dams in the world.
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