Standing on the bank of the Mekong River, Tran Van Cung can see his rice farm wash away before his very eyes. The paddy's edge is crumbling into the delta.
Just 15 years ago, Southeast Asia's longest river carried some 143 million tonnes of sediment – as heavy as about 430 Empire State Buildings – through to the Mekong River Delta every year, dumping nutrients along riverbanks essential to keeping tens of thousands of farms like Cung's intact and productive.
"The river is not bringing sediment, the soil is salinised," said Cung, 60, who has grown rice at his family's 10-hectare farm for more than 40 years. China's foreign ministry said the country accounted for only a fifth of the total Mekong basin area and only 13.5% of the water flowing out of the Mekong's estuary, adding that there was already a "scientific consensus" on the impact of China's upstream dams. The ministry did not address the slide in sediment levels or the role of Chinese dams in that decline.
The area under rice farming has shrunk by 5% in the last five years alone, with many forced to adopt shrimp farming in salty seawater as an alternative. Another 11 dams have gone up since 1995 on the main river itself in China – including five mega-dams each standing more than 100 metres tall – while China has helped to build two in Laos.
The satellite images for the Mekong analysis date back to the 1990s, which "allows us to calculate turbidity levels before many of the dams were built," said EOMAP data analyst Philipp Bauer. After the dam was completed in 2012, average turbidity at the same spot plummeted 98% to just 2.38 NTUs - clear enough to meet the World Health Organization's classification for drinking water.
Governments of other countries through which the Mekong flows also did not respond to requests for comment.At Cung's rice farm in Vietnam, riverbank seedlings have little time to take root before they fall into the water as the banks give way.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
Diddy says Yung Miami is not his ‘side chick’ after welcoming baby with Dana TranEarlier this week, Yung Miami went on a twitter rant about her relationship with Diddy after he announced that he welcomed baby No. 7 with Dana Tran.
Consulte Mais informação »
Antioch honors fast-food worker who lost her eye while standing up for bullied autistic teenThe 19-year-old Antioch resident and fast-food assistant manager was honored on Tuesday at Antioch City Hall for standing up to a man who was allegedly bullying a teenage customer who had special n…
Consulte Mais informação »
Man fatally shot, another critically wounded while standing on sidewalk in South Chicago: policeThree gunmen hopped out of their vehicle and opened fire, Chicago police said.
Consulte Mais informação »
Top Barbados Court Strikes Down Laws Criminalizing Gay SexThe ruling makes Barbados the third Caribbean nation to strike down long-standing laws criminalizing homosexuality.
Consulte Mais informação »
Colorado River water users convening amid crisis concernsLAS VEGAS (AP) — Living with less water in the U.S. Southwest is the focus this week for state and federal water administrators, tribal officials, farmers, academics and business representatives meeting about the drought-stricken and overpromised Colorado River.
Consulte Mais informação »