Written by Dr. Xuezhong Yu, project leader of the MK22 project
LOWER REACHES OF JINGHONG HYDROPOWER STATION IN DAI AUTONOMOUS PREFECTURE OF XISHUANGBANNA OF SOUTHWEST CHINA’S YUNNAN PROVINCE, MARCH 20, 2016. (PHOTO SOURCE: NEWS.CN)
In March 2016, Vietnam proposed for China to increase its outflow from the Jinghong Hydropower Station to the Mekong River to cope with drought and salt intrusion in a number of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta provinces. In response to Vietnam’s request, China agreed to release more water from its Jinghong Hydropower Station reservoir into the lower Mekong River in order to deal with drought in Vietnam. The water release at the Jinghong Hydropower Station was increased to 2190 m3/s on March 15 and was maintained around 2000m3/s from March 15 to April 10.