Hua Hin summit to discuss crisis

Together with activists, they point the finger at China, as the current has ebbed after the completion of three dams upstream in 2008.

The issue will be discussed at the first Mekong River Summit to be held in Hua Hin from April 2-5. The summit, which is the first of its kind, will gather regional political leaders and experts in the field of integrated water resource management.

Aside from the four member countries of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) - Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam - the dialogue partners of the 15-year-old body, like China and Burma, and non-government organisations will also attend.

'WE'LL RAISE OUR CONCERNS'

"We'll raise our concerns at the summit," says Pianporn Deetes from Save the Mekong Coalition. "We earlier asked the Thai government to tap flow information from China, as China has not responded to our request."

Next month, a group of 100 villagers from Chiang Khong district will submit a petition to the Chinese Embassy, and also seek compensation of Bt85 million from the Chinese government for damages from the flashfloods they experienced two years ago. Their leader, Niwat Roikaew of the Rak Chiang Khong conservation group, accused China of releasing water from the dams, which raised the river's level by one metre overnight. Now, in the dry season, China does not release water, and the water level, at 0.38 metre, is the lowest in 50 years.

Khamphang Chandthakul, headman of Chiang Saen's Ban Sob Kham village, said the village's corn and chilli farms were suffering a water shortage. Last weekend, 10 villagers built a checkdam at a small canal, to slow water draining into the river.

But even after 100 sandbags were placed, hours later the water level remained below 10cm, though it was normally 50cm in previous years. The low level makes it impossible for villagers to pump water from the canal to their farms.

Fishermen from Pak Ing and Pong Kham villages in Chiang Saen have left their fishing nets and boats on the sandbanks.

"Now, we've stopped fishing temporarily. We will have to wait until the river is high enough," said Sak Khamdang, a 48-year-old fisherman. He is ready to look for a job in a big city, if the water does not rise in the near future.

Thao Sommai, 43, a Laotian who plies a tourist boat in Luang Prabang, admitted that the level was the most critical factor.

"Small boats like mine are okay as we're operating near the city. But shipping goods by river from China and Thailand is impossible. Road transportation is more costly. Some boats are still stuck in the shoals, and now, we only can wait for rain to come in May."

CHINA STANDS ACCUSED

Farmers in Laos and Thailand accuse China of saving water for local use. Civil society is greatly concerned about the impact of the three dams in China on the water level. As of Feb 24, all six major water stations in Thailand, from Chiang Rai to Ubon Ratchathani, recorded extremely low water levels, according to data from the MRC.

In Chiang Saen, water on that day was only one metre above the riverbed, compared to the average of 2.4 metres recorded during the summer of 2009 and 2.3 metres recorded in 1992, before China constructed the three dams. The third dam was completed in 2008.

-- Average water level (metre) in the dry season measured at six major water stations in Thailand clearly shows extremely low water in the Mekong River in 2010, two years after the completion of three dams in China.

Station/period/before dams/after dams/2009/ As of Feb 24

China, as an MRC dialogue partner, now contributes flow information only during the flood season, not the dry season.

But academics are reluctant to blame China. They said the crisis could be a result of global warming and an accelerated El Nino cycle.

Meteorologist Smith Thammasaroj said warmer temperatures lead to faster ice melts. While much of the thawed water flows to the sea, the remaining thin ice is not enough to feed sufficient water to the river. He suggested the construction of reservoirs to stock up water for the dry season.