GIANT dams on the Mekong river in southeast Asia are being blamed for sudden bizarre fluctuations in the flow of one of the world’s longest rivers. Environmentalists say dam operations in China threaten the livelihoods of fishing communities in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The Mekong River Commission, an intergovernmental body that China has refused to join, called an emergency meeting last week to discuss the crisis on the river. Afterwards it sent an official letter to China demanding information about the operation of its dams, which block the headwaters of the river in Yunnan province.
The 4500-kilometre river has…
