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 ...
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 ...
Water levels on many rivers, including the mighty Yangtze, have been unusually high this year because of torrential rains.
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) ...
The Mekong is the test of China’s leadership
To show real leadership, China must recognize the needs of downstream nations.
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 ...
Mighty Nile River threatened by waste, warming and a giant Ethiopian dam
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 ...
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 ...
Saving the world's dying rivers
International cooperation can save riparian systems, but first we must recognize the consequences of doing nothing.
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 ...
In about-face, Uganda to consider contentious hydro project near famed Murchison Falls
Uganda will approve a feasibility study into building a hydro power station near the awe-inspiring Murchison Falls, the tourism ministry said Friday, three months after vowing to scrap the project. The about-face has infuriated tourism operators who fear the 360-megawatt project on the Victoria Nile ...
Asia's twin curse: Dams and droughts
A proliferation of upstream dams is beginning to impose costs across much of Asia.
