China denied Wednesday it has “hijacked” water from the Mekong River, causing its lowest levels in 20 years for areas downstream in Southeast Asia.
Liu Ning, vice minister of water resources, suggested that China's dams and irrigation projects upstream have actually helped stave off some of the effects of drought — though it was not clear whether he was referring just to parched areas of southwest China or the wider region.
The Mekong River, which originates in the Tibetan Plateau, is at its lowest level in nearly two decades, halting cargo traffic on the waterway that is the lifeblood for 65 million people in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, according to the Mekong River Commission.
Nongovernmental organizations have long blamed China for shrinking the Mekong and causing other ecological damage. China has built several dams on the upper reaches of the river and has more planned.
“We cannot say that China hijacked water resources and contributed to the drought,” Liu told a news conference when asked about the effect of China's water projects on the water supply in Southeast Asia.
“If there were no irrigation facilities and reservoirs built in drought areas, the drought would have come earlier, the situation would have been more severe, and there would have been more people suffering from a lack of drinking water,” Mr. Liu said.
He did not specify which areas he meant.
Mr. Liu emphasized the need to step up the construction of more water conservancy projects to insure adequate drinking water.
He said neighbouring countries are aware of China's measures and China will discuss with groups like the Mekong River Commission, an intergovernmental organization that oversees the sustainable development of the river basin.
“The building and use of hydropower plants will only be done based on scientific evidence, and this process is very strict in China,” said Mr. Liu, who is also secretary-general of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.
Little rainfall since late last year in southwest China has left millions of residents facing water shortages in that region's worst drought in a century. About 24 million people, twice more than in the same period during normal years, face drinking water shortages, Mr. Liu said.
“We should prepare to fight a long drought ... to prepare for the worst-case scenario,” he said.
Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou regions have been the hardest hit by the drought despite teams of workers drilling for wells and transporting drinking water, Mr. Liu said.
Mr. Liu said the severity of this year's drought was due to a decline in rainfall, low river flows, higher temperatures, and inadequate water storage facilities and is likely to continue until mid- to late May, when the rainy season begins.
