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Last year, the Mekong river experienced an unprecedented drought and its lowest water levels in 50+ years, affecting millions along the lower portion of the river. #China insisted it also experienced low water levels during this time, but new data says otherwise. 1/5
Water level data and satellite imagery show that #China limited the river's flow with its expansive dam system, directly causing the record-low water levels for countries downstream. Meanwhile, China's section of the river contained an above average volume of water. 2/5
New analysis from @aikunming and our @stimson_SEAsia team, dives deep into China’s harmful use of dams along the upper Mekong, suggesting #China may be manipulating the river as a means to control power in the region. 3/5 https://www.stimson.org/2020/new-evidence-how-china-turned-off-the-mekong-tap/#4-the-2019-drought
“The problem is that the Chinese elite see water as something for their use, not as a shared commodity,” says @Stimson_SEAsia Director Brian Eyler in @nytimes
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/world/asia/china-mekong-drought.html 4/5
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/world/asia/china-mekong-drought.html 4/5
“Either Beijing is lying or their dam operators are lying to them. Somewhere, someone isn’t telling the truth,” he says. More in @reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mekong-river/chinese-dams-held-back-mekong-waters-during-drought-study-finds-idUSKCN21V0U7 5/5
