Mekong River’s new colour a sign of trouble
The Mekong River has recently acquired an aquamarine colour that may beguile tourists but also indicates a problem caused by upstream dams, experts say.
The river usually has a yellowish-brown shade due to the sediment it normally carries downstream. But lately it has been running clear, taking on a blue-green hue that is a reflection of the sky. The water levels have also become unusually low, exposing sandbanks that allow the curious to stand in the middle of the river.
The experts and people living along the river blame a large hydroelectric dam upstream in Laos that began operating in October for contributing to both problems, though rainfall has also been sparse.
AP
