The eight dams in China, which were built on the Mekong River, or Lancang as it is called in China, have been blamed as the chief culprit in the sharp fall in water levels downstream and the resulting hardships caused to people in lower riparian countries, according to the Mekong Freedom Network, a civic group that studies the impacts of dams constructed along the Mekong river.

From its studies, the group said that the eight dams have blocked a combined total of over 40 billion cubic metres of water for use in electricity generation, irrigation and other purposes and they are the main cause of unnatural flows of the river, affecting the livelihoods of the people living along the river.

Full story: thaipbsworld.com

By Thai PBS World