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Low water levels on the upper Mekong River have renewed criticism over hydropower dams China has erected on the waterway's upper reaches. Environmental groups and governments have pinned blame on China's inward-looking water management policies, although some experts say the real culprit is unusually severe drought conditions in southwestern China, northern Thailand and Laos.  read more »

Bagladesh has refused a $94-million-dollar offer of climate aid from the British government, saying the money, which would have been channelled through the World Bank, comes attached with unfavourable “terms and conditions”.  read more »

Ren Xinghui’s recent decision to sue China's Ministry of Finance over the Three Gorges levy—added to electricity bills in the 1990s to help pay for the massive infrastructure project—has raised a number of eyebrows. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of Ren's campaign so far has been the lack of a response from government officials—marking what some commentators are calling a new move towards government transparency.  read more »

The Mekong River, South-East Asia's longest waterway, is at its lowest level in 50 years, raising questions about who is to blame - mankind or Mother Nature - for the region's diminishing water supply. The 4,350-kilometre-long river originates in southern China and meanders through Laos and Thailand into Cambodia, where it feeds Tongle Sap Lake before reaching southern Vietnam and emptying into the South China Sea.  read more »

Something is wrong with the mighty Mekong River, which frames the lives of 250 million people in six countries of Southeast Asia through which it flows and on which 60 million people depend directly for their livelihoods.

But there are widely differing views on why the Mekong has shrunk to its lowest levels in 20 years, with only half its normal volume in some places, so that vital fish migrations have been disturbed and river shipping had to be halted.  read more »

The large-scale construction that accompanied the building of the Three Gorges dam and its reservoir has increased the number of landslides―both new and reactivated―in the surrounding area. County seats recently built on land near the reservoir are now particularly prone to landslides. Local schools and residential buildings are already suffering cracked foundations and walls.  read more »

Resentment is simmering among Thai fishing communities along the Mekong River facing a prolonged dry spell and record-low water levels.

Local residents blame China's dams upstream for disrupting fish and other marine life, causing a sharp drop in fish catches and in turn affecting their livelihoods.  read more »

Beijing’s worsening water crisis is once again forcing its neighbouring province Hebei to sacrifice more of its dwindling reserves. According to a recent report from China Daily, Hebei is expected to open four of its reservoirs this year in an effort to help cover demand in the country's water-starved capital.   read more »

A Chinese law school graduate recently sued China’s Ministry of Finance for denying his right, as a taxpayer, to information about the Three Gorges Construction Fund. This is the first time a taxpayer has challenged the Chinese regime.  read more »

The fragile hilly ecosystem near the Three Gorges Reservoir has suffered a series of plights including geologic hazards, stone desertification and water pollution, said a vice-mayor of Chongqing municipality, the Beijing Times reported on Saturday.  read more »