Mekong Dam Monitor (Update for Oct. 21 - Nov. 3, 2024)

 

Update for October 21 - November 3 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.

SPOTLIGHT Mekong floodpulse peaks one month late, just below normal range Wet season inundation in the huge Mekong floodplain peaked last week at 19,200 square kilometers. This is a decent performance for the floodpulse over the 2024 Mekong wet season and should translate into ample but not impressive fish catches on levels similar to 2022 and 2023. However, the quantity of seasonal flooding is just below the normal range of 20,000 square kilometers for peak floodpulse. Historically the floodpulse peaked in late September, so this month’s peak comes about one month later than the historical norm. The floodpulse has peaked in late October for the last five years, reflecting a shifting trend in the timing of the floodpulse. Without upstream dam restrictions, the floodpulse would have fallen within the normal range of seasonal flooding.

Where is the water? A minor net release of 101 million cubic meters was observed over the last two weeks. The largest releases came from China’s Huangdeng Dam and Thailand’s Ubol Ratana dam. The two largest dams in the Mekong, Xiaowan and Nuozhadu have been completely full for the last three weeks. They will likely soon begin releasing water, artificially raising the river level downstream.

Reservoir Storage Over Time

River Levels River levels throughout the basin are now well below normal and trending downward.

Chiang Saen Gauge Stung Treng Gauge

Weather & Wetness For several weeks the headwaters in China have been extremely warm and wet and lacked snow cover. Much of the center of the Mekong is extremely dry except for the entire southeast part of the basin where tropical storm Trami brought extreme wetness to parts of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.