Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


China Strikes Deal With Fellow Mekong River Countries for Year-Round Data

Zsombor Peter

   KUALA LUMPUR - China last week agreed to share year-round data from the
   upper Mekong River with downstream countries, where its dams are being
   blamed for muting the natural rhythms of one of Asia's great waterways
   and adding to the pain of recent droughts.
   For the past 18 years, China has been sharing rainfall and water level
   data from two dam sites in the upper Mekong basin, where the river
   begins, during the bulk of the region's wet season, from June to
   October.
   On Thursday it formally agreed to share the same data from the two
   sites all year with the Mekong River Commission, an inter-governmental
   body of the lower Mekong countries charged with managing the waterway.
   Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, which comprise the commission,
   have been urging Beijing to share the data for years.
   A 'landmark' deal
   In a prepared statement the commission secretariat CEO, An Pich Hatda,
   called the agreement a "landmark" in relations with China that would
   help downstream countries forecast coming floods and droughts.
   Some 60 million people south of China live off the water, fish and soil
   the Mekong washes their way.
   Experts say the year-round data should help give farming and fishing
   communities along the Mekong advance warning of sudden drops and rises
   that can break down riverbanks, kill off riverside crops and strand or
   wash away fishing boats.

.