Mekong Dam Monitor (Update for May 6 - 12, 2024)

 

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Update for May 6-12 Notable changes on the Mekong in the last week. Visit the Monitor home for more, including Burmese, 中文, Khmer, ພາສາລາວ, ไทย, and Tiếng Việt translation.

PLEASE NOTE: As of May 2024, the Mekong Dam Monitor has a new web address! Moving forward, please access our data portal via https://mekongmonitor.stimson.org.

SPOTLIGHT Erratic Fluctuations from China’s Jinghong Dam Damage Downstream Ecology For the last 11 days, China’s Jinghong Dam has damaged the ecology of the Mekong River by repeatedly releasing water during afternoon and evening for hydropower production and then restricting water overnight. This way of operating a dam is called hydropeaking, and it maximizes hydropower generation during the hours electricity demand is highest by releasing water in sudden bursts. This is causing the river level to rise by about 0.80 meters at Jinghong and then fall again within a 24-hour period. The peaks and valleys introduced to a river’s ecology are extremely damaging to fish habitats and fish migration.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK Most April Flow Came from the Upper Basin & Volume at Stung Treng was 60% Higher Than Long Term

Where is the water? Dry season releases for hydropower production were significant throughout the basin last week with a net release of just over 1 billion cubic meters. An unusual flow restriction of 370 million cubic meters was observed at Nuozhadu. Without this restriction, total releases last week would have been much higher. The most significant releases came from Huangdeng (PRC, 116 million cubic meters), Xiaowan (PRC, 389 million cubic meters), Nam Ngum 2 (LAO, 158 million cubic meters), and Theun Hinboun Expansion (LAO, 343 million cubic meters).

Most Impactful Dams

River Levels River levels are at normal or slightly higher than normal levels throughout the entire Mekong. This is a rare occurrence for the dry season when upstream dam releases typically lead to river levels much higher than normal.

Chiang Saen Gauge Stung Treng Gauge

Weather & Wetness The excess wetness observed in China’s upstream is being used to fill reservoirs at Tuoba and Nuozhadu. Storms brought relief to a few areas in Laos, but most of the lower basin is still experiencing extremely dry conditions and high temperatures for this time of year. Excess wetness previously observed in Vietnam’s delta is starting to dry out and severe drought is observed along Vietnam’s southern coastline.