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Mekong countries may ask China for warning on water release

Thai News Agency. 2008/08/20
http://mathaba.net/news/?x=603223

All six member countries of the Mekong River Commission `MRC` will
meet in Laos late next month and Thailand may ask China to provide
warnings of the timing and volume of water to be released from its
upstream dams as several areas in Thailand and the rest of members of
the agency are now battered by severe flooding, a senior Thai official
said Wednesday.

Thai Deputy Interior Minister Prasong Kositanond said concerned
officials are now studying details of the flooding which has affected
Thailand's northern and northeastern provinces during the past few
weeks and may ask for improved cooperation from China to send the
warning and volume of water to be discharged from its dams.

Without cooperation from China, Thailand's at-risk northeastern
provinces of Nong Khai and Nakhon Phanom provinces bordering Laos
would face fiercer floods, said Mr. Prasong.

The three Indochina countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, plus
Myanmar and China are dialogue partners with Thailand. They are
scheduled to meet in the Laotian capital of Vientiane September 25-26.

Thailand's total damage in seven Thai provinces are now estimated at
Bt220 million, he said. Officials of the Interior Ministry's Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation Department have been sent to those provinces
to assist the flood victims, except in rugged terrain.

Governors of the flood-hit provinces are allowed to disburse Bt50
million from emergency fund to initially help the victims.

Meanwhile, Burachat Buasuwan, the MRC's Thailand coordinator, said at
a seminar that the agency's officials last week inspected flooding
situation in five northern and northeastern provinces and believed
that the waters which overflowed the Mekong river banks was due to
heavy rainfall resulting from a low pressure and tropical storm that
originated off southern China.

Mr. Burachat said if the flooding was caused by water released from
dams in China, it would not recede very quickly.

However, Mr. Burachat said Chinese officials only provided information
on water discharged from dams in the rainy season and not during the
dry season.

In the past, the MRC officials had requested information from Chinese
officials, but it was not forthcoming, Mr. Burachat added, it would be
better if the request is made through the governments of the two
countries. (TNA)

 
 

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