dams

National Nov 19, 2020

Kumamoto approves controversial dam after deadly July flooding

Heavy rainfall in July saw 65 lives lost and at least 6,000 houses flooded in the prefecture, figures it is hoped the dam can reduce in future.

National Sep 6, 2020

Japan to compensate for dam water release into prefectural rivers

The land ministry will establish a system of compensating for losses stemming from water release from dams in rivers managed by prefectural governments as a pre-emptive measure to minimize damage from torrential rains, sources have said. The plan, similar to an existing one for water ...

Asia Pacific Aug 14, 2020

'Sponge city': China tries new tack after centuries of trying to curb floods

In Chongqing’s ramshackle neighborhood of Old Street, down by the Yangtze River, shopkeeper Liu cleans up the mess from last month’s floods. She lines up dozens of pairs of sodden, mud-caked shoes on the pavement outside, appealing hopefully to a passerby. "I will sell ...

Asia Pacific | FOCUS Jul 25, 2020

Water wars: Mekong River another front in U.S.-China rivalry

The Mekong River has become a new front in the U.S.-China rivalry, environmentalists and officials say, with Beijing overtaking Washington in both spending and influence over downstream countries at the mercy of its control of the river's waters. It's a confrontation in which the administration ...

Asia Pacific Jul 22, 2020

Dam collapse in China could point to a 'black swan' disaster

The dam at a small reservoir in China's Guangxi region gave way last month after days of heavy rain in a collapse that could be a harbinger of sterner tests for many of the country's 94,000 aging dams as the weather gets more extreme. Located ...

Business Jul 4, 2020

Beginning of the end for megadam projects in China as solar and wind power rise

It’s the beginning of the end for the era of megadam building in China. China Three Gorges Corp. on Monday turned on the first set of generators at the massive Wudongde hydropower plant, deep in the mountains of Yunnan province. About 170 kilometers (106 miles) ...

Asia Pacific Apr 14, 2020

Chinese dams held back Mekong waters during drought, study finds

China's Mekong River dams held back large amounts of water during a damaging drought in downstream countries last year despite China having higher-than-average water levels upstream, a U.S. research company said in a study. China's government disputed the findings, saying there was low rainfall during ...

World Mar 26, 2020

Mighty Nile River threatened by waste, warming and a giant Ethiopian dam

by Farid Farid

Early one morning in Cairo, volunteers paddle their kayaks across the Nile, fishing out garbage from the mighty waterway, which gave birth to Egyptian civilization but now faces multiple threats. Egypt's lifeline since pharaonic days and the source of 97 percent of its water is ...

Asia Pacific Mar 19, 2020

Cambodia puts plans for mainstream Mekong dams on hold for 10 years

Electricity-starved Cambodia will not develop new hydropower dams on the Mekong River for the next 10 years, a senior energy official said on Wednesday, as it reviews its policy to seek energy from coal, natural gas and solar. The decision means that neighboring Laos, which ...

Commentary / World Feb 11, 2020

Saving the world's dying rivers

by Brahma Chellaney

International cooperation can save riparian systems, but first we must recognize the consequences of doing nothing.

National Jan 7, 2020

Less than half of dams in Japan can release water ahead of downpours to cut flood risks

Only 40 percent of dams in Japan can pre-emptively release water held in the reservoirs behind them prior to heavy rains to mitigate flood risks, a Kyodo News survey showed Monday. Following recent typhoons and other extreme weather incidents, the lack of a pre-release function ...