Transboundary hydrological effects of hydropower dam construction on the Lancang River

Ecological and socioeconomic issues in the Greater Mekong Subregion have in recent years attracted increasing regional and global attention. Much of this concern has been centered on construction of a cascade of hydropower dams on the Lancang River （upper Mekong River） in southwestern China＇s Yunnan Province, This article uses monthly runoff data of hydrologic monitoring stations in the Lancang River watershed from the 1950s onward and key data of the partially completed 2-dam cascade on the main stream of Lancang River to perform a comprehensive analysis of possible transboundary hydrologic effects of dam construction on Lower Mekong River. Results of the analysis show the following： （1） changes in flows over the Lancang-Mekong river＇s 4880 km course are exceedingly complex, and the two existing dams on the mainstream of Lancang River are but one of many factors influencing those flows, not a major factor; （2） significant downstream impacts of the two existing dams are limited in scale to changes in daily flow stages, and are limited geographically to the narrow channel north of Vientiane; （3） over timescales of several days or more, the primary factor in flow changes is climate change; （4） below the Yunjinghong hydrologic station in Lancang River basin, flow volumes can be as great as 113.7×10^8 m^3, or 15.44% of the average annual total runoff out of China, now are not influenced by the dam construction. These results provide a scientific basis for reasonable assessment of transboundary impact of dam construction on the mainstream of Lancang River to the lower Mekong River.

Transboundary hydrological effects of hydropower dam construction on the Lancang River