Chinese Minister of Water Resources, Chen Lei, says Beijing has offered to discharge water to alleviate the drought in Mekong River Basin countries. He said the remarks during a media briefing on Wednesday.
"The Jinghong Hydropower Station in southwest China's Yunan Province has begun discharging two thousand cubic meters of water on a daily basis, until April 10th. But we'll adjust the release depending on the situation, so as to alleviate the drought," Chen said.
Since late 2015, countries along the Mekong River have been suffering droughts of varying degrees due to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon. The situation has worsened recently and threatens people's livelihood. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang said the Chinese government has decided to overcome its own difficulties to provide emergency water flows. Lu said the water release is going to benefit Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Phnom Penh and Hanoi have welcomed China's assistance.