Mekong river groups urge China to show transparency after dam report
Groups working to protect the Mekong River have called for greater transparency and cooperation from China after a report that Chinese dams held back water during a damaging drought in downstream countries last year.
China has disputed the findings of the U.S. government-funded study and said it will do its utmost to guarantee a reasonable discharge of water to the Mekong basin countries of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The study, by research and consulting company Eyes on Earth Inc., said that according to satellite data 11 Chinese dams held back water at a time when China had higher-than-average levels – while levels downstream were at their lowest in over 50 years.
Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok, and Prak Chan Thul in Phnom Penh, and James Pearson in Hanoi; Editing by Matthew Tostevin/Mark Heinrich
