![\"20152408_divert](\"http:\/\/www.nature.org.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/20152408_divert-the-mekong.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHowever, this key food production could be jeopardised by large water management projects upriver, Vietnamese experts have warned.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha voiced plans to use water from the Mekong and Salween rivers to fill dams that have run low because of drought and poor water management. But the PM\u2019s remarks have caused shockwaves in the Mekong Delta, which would be directly affected if such a project was to go ahead.<\/p>\n
Nguyen Huu Thien, a freelance expert on wetland ecology and natural resource conservation, criticised the idea. He said taking a large amount of water out of an international river was like sucking the blood from a body and would surely hurt the livelihood of people downstream.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just heard of Thailand\u2019s idea to divert water from the Mekong River. I still don\u2019t have much information about the plan but I strongly oppose this idea, as a change in the amount of water in the river would definitely have an impact on the people who live in the Mekong Delta and who rely on the river,\u201d Thien said.<\/p>\n
Thien, who is based in Can Tho, a city in the delta, said extensive use of water upstream had already reduced the river\u2019s flow. This had caused many problems such as greater saltwater intrusion, environmental degradation and drought. If Thailand\u2019s idea was implemented, more severe impacts would follow.<\/p>\n
Ky Quang Vinh, director of Can Tho City Climate Change Coordination Office, was similarly worried. He said the project would change the water flow of the Mekong.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe project would divert water from the river, which would decrease the amount of water in the delta, especially in the dry season, when the water level is normally low. This would directly impact farmers in the delta and thus the food basket of Vietnam,\u201d Vinh said.<\/p>\n