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#Post#: 13490--------------------------------------------------
Mekong water levels reach low record
By: Surly1 Date: September 3, 2019, 6:42 am
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Mekong water levels reach low record
HTML http://www.mrcmekong.org/news-and-events/news/mekong-water-levels-reach-low-record/
HTML http://www.mrcmekong.org/assets/Photos/Pak-Beng-Dam-Site-Pak-Beng00005__FillWzcxMCwzOTld.jpg
[html]<p><strong>Vientiane, Lao PDR, 18 July 2019</strong>
– The Mekong water levels during this early flood season
from June to July are among the lowest on record, falling below
their historical long-term minimum levels. But the situation is
expected to get better at the end of July.</p> <p>From the
upper reaches of the lower Mekong basin in Thailand’s
Chiang Saen to Lao PDR’s Luang Prabang and Vientiane and
further down to Thailand’s Nong Khai and Cambodia’s
Neak Luong, the water levels are all below those that occurred
in 1992, which was by far the year with the lowest flow on
record.</p> <p>For example, the current water level in
Chiang Saen, 2.10 meters, is 3.02m lower than its long-term
average – the average water level measured over 57 years
(1961-2018) – over the same period. It is about 0.75m
lower than the minimum level ever recorded. Between 14 June and
18 July this year, there was also a drop of 0.97m at this
station.</p> <p>In Vientiane, the water is 0.70m or 5.54m
below its long-term average over the same period. It is about
1.36m lower than the minimum level. Between 16 June and 18 July,
there was a drop of 5.58m at the station</p> <div><img
src="
HTML http://www.mrcmekong.org/assets/News/Water-level-in-Vientiane__ResizedImageWzcxMCwzOTRd.PNG"<br
/>alt="Water level in Vientiane" width="710" height="394"
title="Water level in Vientiane" /> <p>Water level
hydrograph in Vientiane of Lao PDR on 18
July.</p> </div> <p>
The water in Kratie, 9.31m, is about 5.40m below its long-term
average. But it is about 0.16m higher than the minimum level
ever recorded. Between 10 June and 18 July, there was a drop of
about 0.38m at the station.</p> <p>Although the relatively
rapid and sustained decrease in water levels and discharge from
June to July 2019 has been unprecedented, it does not reflect
the natural recession of the seasonal flows when during this
period the water should be slowly
increasing.</p> <p>According to the Mekong River
Commission’s (MRC) analysis and available information,
some key factors have contributed to the current state of what
is described as the “regional low flow” of the
Mekong river basin.</p> <p>There has been very deficient
rainfall over the Mekong basin since the beginning of this year.
In the upper reaches of the lower Mekong basin, Chiang Sean had
the lowest rainfall this June compared to the other areas
downstream. Its June’s average rainfall was only about 67%
of the total amount of monthly rainfall in June
2006-2018.</p> <p>The average lower-than-normal rain volume
in the lower Mekong basin during June-July could also cause the
deficient groundwater in the region. This means there is
insufficient groundwater contributing to the Mekong
mainstream.</p> <p>The amount of water flowing from the
upper part of the basin, where the Mekong is known as Lancang,
could also be a potential contribution of the low flow.
According to the <a
href="
HTML http://www.mrcmekong.org/news-and-events/news/water-flow-from-chinas-jinghong-station-to-fluctuate-but-no-major-impact-is-expected/">notification<br
/>from China</a>, starting from 5 to 19 July the amount of water
flowing out from the Jinghong dam in Yunnan province would be
fluctuating from 1,050 – 1,250 cubic meters per second
(m<sup>3</sup>/s) to 504 – 600 m<sup>3</sup>/s due to
“grid maintenance”.</p> <p>Besides, the
drier-than-average conditions are expected in July over parts of
the southern ASEAN region. Thailand, Lao PDR and Myanmar are
some of the countries that would be hit, according to the Asian
Specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC).</p> <p>But the
current state of the lower water in the basin is anticipated to
improve at the end of this month, with rain in the
forecast.</p> <p>According to the ASMC, wetter-than-average
conditions may develop over parts of the region between the
Indian and Pacific Oceans and eastern Mekong sub-region,
including the four lower Mekong countries plus
Myanmar.</p> <p>More information about water levels on the
Mekong mainstream can be found at: <a
href="
HTML http://ffw.mrcmekong.org/bulletin_wet.php">http://ffw.mrcmekong.org/bulletin_wet.php</a>.</p> <p><strong>Note<br
/>to editors:</strong></p> <p>The MRC is an intergovernmenta
l
organization for regional dialogue and cooperation in the lower
Mekong river basin, established in 1995 based on the Mekong
Agreement between Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. The
organization serves as a regional platform for water diplomacy
as well as a knowledge hub of water resources management for the
sustainable development of the region. Both China and Myanmar
are Dialogue Partners of the MRC.</p>[/html]
#Post#: 13663--------------------------------------------------
Expert Says Indians Will Soon Become Water Refugees Heading for
Water-Rich Europe
By: Surly1 Date: September 19, 2019, 5:48 am
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Expert Says Indians Will Soon Become Water Refugees Heading for
Water-Rich Europe
HTML https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/j5ygy7/expert-says-indians-will-soon-become-water-refugees-heading-for-water-rich-europe?utm_source=reddit.com
Rajendra Singh, also known as the “Waterman of India”, says over
70 percent of the country has dried up, and this may lead to
climatic migration to other countries.
[html]<div> <div> <div> <div><span>By </span><a
title="Pallavi Pundir"
href="
HTML https://www.vice.com/en_in/contributor/pallavi-pundir">Pallavi<br
/>Pundir</a></div> <div> <div>18 September 2019,
8:19am</div> <a
href="javscript:;"><span></span><span>Share</span></a><a
href="javscript:;"><span></span><span>Tweet</span></a></div>
;</div> </div> </div> <div> <div
data-type="image-lede"> <div><picture><source
media="(min-width: 0px)"
srcset="
HTML https://video-images.vice.com/articles/5d821be6bcd43000094ace31/lede/1568808002269-Water-crisis.jpeg?crop=0.9883321894303363xw:1xh;center,center&resize=640:*"<br
/>/><img alt="" /></picture></div> </div> <p>PHOTO VIA <
a
href="
HTML https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Water-crisis.jpg"<br
/>target="_blank" rel="noopener">WIKIMEDIA
COMMONS</a></p> <div> <div tabindex="-1"> <div
data-type="body-text"> <p>As various <a
href="
HTML https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/kzmypz/photos-show-just-how-bad-indias-water-crisis-drought-has-become"<br
/>target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports show India approaching
‘Day Zero’</a> (the day when a place’s taps
dry out and people have to stand in line to collect a daily
quota of water), a top Indian expert has warned that Indians may
soon become “water refugees” who’ll migrate to
water-rich European countries. Rajendra Singh, a
Magsaysay-winning conservationist and environmentalist, and
popularly known as the “<a
href="
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajendra_Singh_(environmentalist)"<br
/>target="_blank" rel="noopener">Waterman of India</a>”,
made this statement at the recently-concluded Stockholm
International Water Institute.</p> <p>India is one of the
most water-stressed countries in the world, with <a
href="
HTML https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/water/india-s-water-crisis-the-clock-is-ticking-65217"<br
/>target="_blank" rel="noopener">almost 50 percent of the countr
y
facing drought-like situation</a>. In fact, 21 major Indian
cities will <a
href="
HTML https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/how-indias-water-ends-up-everywhere-but-india/2019/07/05/81c8efd4-9f89-11e9-83e3-45fded8e8d2e_story.html"<br
/>target="_blank" rel="noopener">start running out of
groundwater</a> by next year, affecting millions. But Singh adds
that as more than 70 percent of aquifers in India dry up, people
are going to start migrating westwards unless we fix it. He
compared the situation to parched regions in Africa and Asia,
from where <a
href="
HTML https://www.wri.org/news/water-stress-helping-drive-conflict-and-migration"<br
/>target="_blank" rel="noopener">people have migrated to Europea
n
states and precipitated political crisis</a>among and within the
EU states. He also added that this may disturb the harmony of
the world.</p> <p>“In India, such migration is taking
place from villages to cities. However, the current water crisis
may lead to such climatic migration in the future to other
countries,” he told <i>The Press Trust of India</i>. In
fact, in India, <a
href="
HTML https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/08/17-countries-home-one-quarter-world-population-face-extremely-high-water-stress"<br
/>target="_blank" rel="noopener">a March 2019 report by the Worl
d
Resources Institute</a> has warned that the climate change
impact will be considerable because of its large
population—at <a
href="
HTML https://www.worldometers.inf
o/world-population/india-population/"
target="_blank" rel="noopener">1.37 billion as of September
18</a>—depending heavily on environment-sensitive sectors
such as agriculture. “These factors make adaptation
critical,” says the report.</p> <p>Reports have also
shown India is <a
href="
HTML https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/mbmaqy/india-continues-to-be-ravaged-by-floods-and-drought-at-the-same-time"<br
/>target="_blank" rel="noopener">facing horrible droughts and
floods</a>, both at the same time. “This deadly
combination of floods and droughts cannot be tackled by
providing piped water but only through community-driven water
management,” said Singh. “The responsibility of
providing water to everyone can only be fulfilled if the
government collaborates with people at the ground level rather
than handing over the work to contractors, whose only interest
is to earn benefits or profits.”</p> <p>However, even
though it seems like much is lost, Singh says things can still
be fixed. One could be to discontinue the use of mechanised
herbicides and pesticides, which are messing with the water
aquifer system. Other ways to salvage the crisis, he said, would
be to develop water harvesting systems to protect our reservoirs
from drying up in the sun. This way, the country can develop
reserve banks of water even when there’s a drought-like
situation. He also stressed on indigenous methods of water
management, designed by the local people.</p> <p>But with
the statistics suggesting much is lost, it’s safe to say
that India is running out of time. “In fact, we have lost
all the time to act,” said Singh. "A country whose 70
percent aquifers are dry has no time
left.”</p> <p><i>Follow Pallavi Pundir on <a
href="
HTML https://twitter.com/pallavipundir"
target="_blank"
rel="noopener">Twitter</a>.</i></p> </div> </div> </
div> </div>[/html]
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