Jia Jinsheng: Reservoirs not cause of drought
The water reservoirs and hydropower stations on the upper reaches of the Mekong River should not be blamed for the drought in Southeast Asia, the president of the International Commission of Large Dams said on Wednesday.
In fact, the severe drought has revealed the water infrastructure along the Mekong River is "inadequate" to effectively fight droughts and floods, Jia Jinsheng told China Daily.
Dams have been built since a century ago; in the dry season, they release water to add to the supply, while in the rainy season, they hold back water to help reduce the damage, he said.
Dams built on the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, two of China's longest, have been proven effective in doing both, he added.
Of the eight dams China planned to build on the 4,880-km Lancang River, which flows through Yunnan province into Southeast Asia where it is called the Mekong River, three are operational.
Without the reservoirs and other water conservancy projects in Southwest China, this year's drought would have been worse, he said.
Jia admitted there is negative impact from building dams, all of which - including those built in developed countries - harm biological diversity and the environment to some degree.
"The key is to strictly follow globally-accepted standards and minimize that impact," he said, adding that building more water conservancy infrastructure will be a long-term task for developing nations.
Jia said China does not channel water away from the Lancang River, and that all hydropower stations in Yunnan have undergone strict environmental and ecological evaluations.
