Tibetan protester in Dharamsala, India. Ten major river systems are sourced within Tibet, including the Yangtse and Yellow Rivers, the Mekong, the Salween, the Brahmaputra, Karnali and Indus rivers. Except for the Salween, all have been heavily dammed by Chinese megadam builders.
Mekong Apocalypse
Michael Buckley | Tibet, Yunnan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
Photographer: Michael Buckley
Exhibit Title: Mekong Apocalypse
Location: Tibet, Yunnan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam
The mighty Mekong River, sourced in Tibet and flowing through six nations downstream is now under supreme threat of ecosystem collapse. Why? The river is under siege from a slew of factors, such as extensive sand-dredging, groundwater extraction, and saltwater intrusion. But by far the biggest threat is the building of Chinese megadams in Yunnan Province. There are a dozen of these monstrous dams. And further downstream in Laos and Cambodia, more dams built by Chinese state-run dam builders. All this is leading to a huge blockage of nutrient-rich sediment to Cambodia and Vietnam, and a precipitous drop in the fish catch in both nations due to the blocking of fish migration routes leading to their spawning grounds.
The author has made a 55-minute docu-drama about the dire situation on the Mekong.. Details about this docu-drama and links to view it can be seen via: www.ThunderHorseMedia.com/Mekong
Photo of Xiaowan Dam in Yunnan by Marcus Rhinelander
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