Xinhua
20 May 2022, 16:55 GMT+10
VIENTIANE, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Mekong River passing several countries in Southeast Asia has recorded higher water levels this year after four straight years of low flow and droughts.
Over the first four months of 2022, the river level was recorded at the highest in several years in part as a result of increased rainfall, the local daily Vientiane Times on Friday reported, citing data from the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
As a result, greater flows of sediment and nutrients should boost fish stocks, improve agriculture and benefit some 70 million people in riverine communities, according to the MRC.
However, the water level rise "doesn't eliminate the risk of moderate drought," Winai Wangpimool, director of the MRC Technical Support Division, was quoted as saying.
MRC figures showed water levels across the Lower Mekong River Basin remain below the 60-year average from 1961 to 2021. Climate change has also posed a challenge, according to CEO of the MRC Secretariat, Anoulak Kittikhoun.
Last year, the traditional wet season was shortened from five months to four, from June-October to July-October, and more precipitation this year also means the risk of torrential rain and flash flooding, the Vientiane Times reported.
MRC meteorological indicators showed that from November 2021 to April 2022, the lower Mekong basin was not only wetter than in normal years, but the accumulated 2022 rainfall was above average by about 25 percent.
According to the Lao media report, data from monitoring stations showed water levels this year notably higher than in the drought years from 2019 to 2021. For example, the water level rose from 1.84 meters on March 2 to 3.25 meters on May 11 at Thailand's Chiang Saen station, while a water level rise of as much as 2.22 meters was recorded along the stretch from Stung Treng to Kampong Cham stations in Cambodia.
The MRC is an intergovernmental organization for regional dialogue and cooperation in the Lower Mekong River Basin. It was established in 1995 based on the Mekong Agreement between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
Get a daily dose of Cambodian Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Cambodian Times.
More InformationWASHINGTON D.C.: U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo has said that since the U.S. and its allies imposed sanctions on Moscow ...
Tokyo, Japan: On June 28, Japan baked under intense heat for a fourth successive day, with temperatures breaking nearly 150-year-old ...
ALBANY, New York: A New York state judge has struck down a recent law giving 800,000 non-citizen New York City ...
DUBAI, UAE: The Arab states have built significant amounts of solar and wind power installations, and are in line to ...
LONDON, England: A second referendum on Scottish independence is set to be held in October 2023. The Scottish government, led ...
LISBON, Portugal: Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe walked out of the opening cermonies of this week's United Nations Ocean Conference ...
The red-hot Atlanta Braves look to finish their six-game road trip with a flourish when they visit the slumping Cincinnati ...
The Tampa Bay Rays' doubleheader sweep of the host Toronto Blue Jays Saturday stopped their four-game losing streak and set ...
Manager Davey Martinez is in position to stay around for quite a bit longer with the Washington Nationals. So, he'd ...
Nolan Arenado hit two homers and drove in three runs to lift the visiting St. Louis Cardinals past the Philadelphia ...
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance Sunday to win their four-game series against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers after taking two ...
Brendan Rodgers hit a three-run homer and Connor Joe had a three-run triple to lead the Colorado Rockies to an ...