China Eyes Its Adjacent Prize – The Mekong

That 2nd you lot realize the aggressive behemoth upstream has both the ability in addition to the inclination to plough off the taps.
From the Lowy Institute's The Interpreter blog:

Beijing’s islands-building inwards the South Red People's Republic of China Sea in addition to their militarisation, replete alongside surface-to-air missiles, is close complete. With guile, threat, in addition to coercion, Red People's Republic of China tin now seize control of 1 of the chief carry arteries of Southeast Asia, making a mockery of international laws in addition to norms.

But at that spot is about other prize inwards Beijing’s sights, an artery that runs straight through mainland Southeast Asia. The mighty Mekong River, which starts inwards Red People's Republic of China (known at that spot every bit Lancang), in addition to connects Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, in addition to Cambodia, is a crucial lifeline that nourishes about lx 1000000 people along its banks.

Control of both the South Red People's Republic of China Sea in addition to Mekong River volition strategically sandwich mainland Southeast Asia. Indeed, Beijing’s command of Southeast Asian rivers looks laid to hold upwardly the other one-half of its “salami slicing” strategy inwards the region.  

Famine is to a greater extent than terrible than the sword 
Controlling the Mekong River’s menstruum alongside dams along the waterway ultimately agency controlling access to food, and hence the livelihoods of tens of millions of people inwards downstream riparian communities. Of the hydroelectricity dams on the Mekong, the vast bulk of currently installed capacity (megawatts) is inwards China, accounting for to a greater extent than than 15,000 MW. This includes a half-dozen mega-dams over M MW, including Nuozhadu dam which churns out 5850 MW.

Together these dams can hold dorsum 23 billion cubic metres of water, or 27% of the river’s annual menstruum betwixt Red People's Republic of China in addition to Thailand. Other dams inwards the lower Mekong are piddling past times comparison, alongside generating capacity inwards the tens or depression hundreds of MW.

The bottom line: Chinese dams tin at nowadays regulate the Mekong’s flow.

This is fifty-fifty to a greater extent than pronounced inwards the dry out flavor when the Tibetan Plateau contributes between 40 in addition to 70% of the river’s flow. The impact on nutrient in addition to livelihoods is dramatic now, but could shortly hold upwardly far worse if xi proposed mega-dams, one-half alongside about Chinese involvement, larn ahead.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 recent UNESCO in addition to Stockholm Environment Institute written report suggests sediment flows inwards the river could trim back by up to 94% if the proposed dams larn ahead, significantly affecting fish catches in addition to overall river health. This volition take away touching on downstream riparian communities.

More worryingly, the raison d’être of the proposed dams in addition to oft-cited promise of a crucial electricity boost for the economies of the lower Mekong has been establish to hold upwardly misguided. Many of the proposed lower Mekong dams volition export their break energy to China, in addition to others volition accept take away negative impacts on the economy. It is projected that over the side past times side 50 years, the toll for the lower Mekong basin economic scheme volition hold upwardly a net negative $7.3 billion, with Vietnam in addition to Kingdom of Cambodia the worst off. The social costs could hold upwardly merely every bit astronomical.

Dams every bit dominoes

During a recent trip to Laos, I encountered concerns virtually Chinese dams beingness used every bit strategic levers, producing unannounced upstream releases of H2O that impact not exclusively communities but likewise novel downstream dams. In such a case, the downstream dams would involve to straightaway break H2O through the spillway, at best resulting inwards the loss of valuable generating capacity, potentially impacting electricity supply, and at worst flooding downstream villages or damaging the integrity of the dam wall.

Already many of the dams on the tributaries of the Mekong are uninformed of upstream releases inwards the Mekong proper, potentially affecting their ain break of H2O past times creating a overflowing surge when the released waters converge. One of the operators of a articulation company dam inwards Lao People's Democratic Republic confided that at that spot was oftentimes footling or no forewarning when H2O from a Chinese-built upstream dam was released...MORE.