Asia |
Right: Concrete batching plant for Upper-Trishuli-1 in Nepal
relationship and trust between the two sides.
“It’s the result of an unprecedented level of effort that the MRC and LMC have invested in our existing cooperation,” Kittikhoun said. “Indeed, while we’ve conducted some joint research and studies before, this current effort sets a high bar. It truly shows a great commitment towards future cooperation between our two organisations.”
Entitled the Joint Study on the Changing Pattern
Above: Access road to the main project site at Upper-Trishuli-1
of Hydrological Conditions of the Lancang-Mekong River Basin and Adaptation Strategies (the Mekong is known in China as the Lancang), the report offers key recommendations, particularly a short-term one that urges the riverine neighbours to further jointly study the different impacts of development and climate change along key parts of their common river, as well as to share critical data – including “real-time sharing of storage levels and hydropower operations.” According to the report: “Two key factors contribute
Below: Waterfalls on the way to the Upper-Trishuli-1 project site terminating at the Trishhuli river basin in Nepal
to hydrological changes in the LMB: natural factors, including precipitation patterns, evaporation rates, soil properties and topography; and human activities, such as infrastructure development, water management, land cover and land-use changes. These two factors interact and influence the amount, timing and water distribution within the basin.”
Among the most significant passages within this
report, it recommends that the Mekong partners enhance notifications of any sudden change in the ways water storage operates: “As global climate change and the associated droughts and floods will play an increasingly important role in driving the basin’s hydrological conditions, it is critical for basin countries to share more information on meteorological flow conditions, extending to tributaries…Real-time data on storage levels and hydropower operations is crucial for operational models and adaptive management. Long-term data on tidal changes, water and land use, and Mekong delta groundwater levels support basin-wide research. The information-sharing platform proposed under the LMC cooperation framework provides an unprecedented opportunity.” For this joint study, the two sides split their research
into two time periods, when water storage dramatically increased from one period to the other: 2000–9 when the Lower Mekong River Basin accumulated 20% of its storage; then 2010–20 when 80% of it was collected – at a time of growing irrigation demands, declining rainfall, and generally drier, drought-induced conditions. While storage increased over time, even today it “amounts to some 27% of the mean annual runoff (MAR) at Stung Treng” in Cambodia, which is low compared with river basins in other drought-prone regions of the world; the Colorado River basin typically holds storage of more than 200% of the MAR. The MRC advocates for more Mekong storage to address future climate change, as well as for the coordinated operation of current storage. The report also includes a call to action, beyond
increased data sharing, with multiple medium-term recommendations that should be driven by “sound science and common understanding.” They include coordinated management of water resources; a comprehensive drought and flood management strategy; more joint studies; and a capacity building plan for water policymakers, managers, engineers, and scientists, addressing knowledge gaps through formal and informal training. Looking forwards, phase 2 of this joint study will embrace the recommendations, predict future trends in the evolving hydrology, and propose strategies for the riparian states to adapt to climate and demographic changes.
20 | February 2024 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37
