CAMBODIA: The Mekong River Commission has encouraged member countries to share more information. It says this is vital if water resource management in the Lower Mekong Basin is to be improved and if recent changes in water levels are to be understood, most especially with regards to the annual reversal of the Tonle Sap.

The Mekong River Commission says the river has shown an abnormal rising and falling this year. The report evaluates hydro-meteorological conditions during the 2020 to 2021 dry season spanning from November until May. It shows fluctuations in water levels in the upper reaches of the Mekong in Laos and Thailand as well as low water volumes in the Tonle Sap Lake. It has also shown that the middle part of the Mekong reached its highest level in 18 years in April and May of this year but that this did not lead to a significant increase in the flow of the river as a whole.

MRC Secretariat, Mr. An Pich Hatda says that because of this, member countries including China should notify any planned major changes in their hydropower operations. He says this is an important step to gain a deeper understanding as to why the Mekong is fluctuating so much.