Mekong Dam Monitor (Update Nov. 6 - 12)

 

Update for November 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.

SPOTLIGHT Mekong Floodpulse beginning to contract The Mekong Floodpulse has started its seasonal decline since peaking in late October. The GIF shows how wetness changed over the first and second weeks of November. Dark blue represents inundation, and overall the Tonle Sap and the Mekong Delta have less inundation in the most recent image. However, the green tiles which represent soil moisture appear to be expanding around the Tonle Sap and the Mekong Delta. As flooding recedes, the ground is soaking up the remaining water.

Where is the water? China’s large Xiaowan and Nuozhadu dams had measurable flow restrictions last week, increasing their reservoirs by a combined 580 million cubic meters of water. These restrictions were offset by observed releases at 11 other dams resulting in a net restriction of only 250 million cubic meters of water.

Reservoir Series Over Time

River Levels Eyes on Earth estimates that about 26% of flow at Chiang Saen is currently restricted by China’s dams. River levels at Chiang Saen are near the all-time low. At Nakhon Phanom, levels are about a half meter below normal. At Stung Treng levels are slightly above normal. Tonle Sap Lake levels are about a half-meter below normal.

Chiang Saen Gauge Stung Treng Gauge

Weather & Wetness Most of the extreme dryness in the lower basin has improved, although temperatures were much warmer than usual for this time of year. The southern shore of the Tonle Sap Lake is still extremely wet for this time of year.