Bangkok Post
November 4, 2004

Water rights and dams are on the informal agenda for talks between ministers of five Southeast Asian countries and a senior Chinese official.

Ministers of five Southeast Asian countries sharing the Mekong river will have informal  sideline talks with a senior Chinese official during an international meeting on conservation later this month.

Conflict over water rights and ecological impact of dam construction in China will be high on the agenda.

The meeting, to be held on Nov 19 while they attend the World Conservation Congress, will cover water needs for consumption, the fish ecosystem and growing energy demands in China that lead to building of dams on the upper Mekong.

Countries downstream of China are upset about changes in the river flow and decreasing water levels.

“It will be an informal talk because at an official meeting people often get uncomfortable due to their [different] positions,” said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suvit Khunkitti.

Ministers from Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam will join him in talks with Zhu Guangyao, Chinese vice minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration.

The Mekong river originates in a Tibetan mountain and runs downstream through the five countries. It is called the Lancang in China. Beijing treats it as a local river and feels it is justified in initiating river development with no need to consult countries downstream.

Other countries view it as an international river and want joint river management and that China care for the environment.

The booming Chinese economy needs new sources of energy and Beijing considers hydropower dam projects on the Mekong to be feasible and inexpensive.

Two dams in the Mekong – Manwan and Dochaoshan – in Yunnan, southern China, are already operating and China also plans to build the Xiaowan dam on the river, scheduled for completion by 2010.

Environmental activists say the Chinese dams have reduced the water level in the river, but Chinese officials deny this.

Earlier this year, Thailand’s Water Resource Department reported a record low water level in the river during the dry season.

But Mr Suvit said yesterday, “we still can’t say exactly where that impact came from. We will seek cooperation during the meeting, taking into account the benefits of all involved, not only a single individual,” he said.

The nine-day congress of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) will meet for the first time in Thailand, starting on Nov 17. It will look at conflicts between development and the environment.

IUCN regional director Aban Marker Kabraji hopes participants will help devise solutions to those conflicts.

The IUCN is one of the oldest international organisations, bringing together 79 states, 114 government agencies, 800 NGOs and up to 10,000 scientists.