A t 4,350 km (2,703 miles), the Mekong river is the longest in south-east Asia. When the Mekong floods, the flow reverses; the floodwaters of the Mekong flow up the Tonle Sap. It is the 12th longest river in the world and the 7th longest in Asia. Water environment in the Mekong River Systems . The Mekong River Basin runs from China, through Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, and drains into the South China Sea. The Upper Mekong, the Three Parallel Rivers, their basins, and the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve in Yunnan. A report from 2016 says that China has built as many as 87, 000 dams. Some 85 percent of them rely directly on the river for their livelihoods, particularly those who are involved in irrigated agriculture and fishing. Immediately after the Sap River joins the Mekong by Phnom Penh, the Bassac River branches off the right (west) bank. The Mekong River is approximately 4,350 km long, and is the 12 th longest river in the world and the 7 th longest river in Asia. It flows through six countries and affects the lives of some 60 million people. The foregoing review has shown that the major urban sanitation problems in Cambodia are technical, financial and institutional in nature. The Mekong's flow begins to rise around the end of May and reaches its highest point in September; it ranges from 1900 to 38,000 cubic metres per second depending on the season. The project involved local communities in the design and construction of improved drainage and sanitation services (toilets, drainage and collection of solid waste). Rising on the Tibetan Plateau, and coursing through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the Mekong Delta finally drains into the South China Sea. The Mekong River is the lifeblood of mainland Southeast Asia. In the early evening the Hau river, a broad Mekong distributary, has taken on the same blue-grey cast as the sky, reflecting rows of quayside lamps as it flows into the distance, reaching for the sea. Immediately after the Sap River joins the Mekong by Phnom Penh, the Bassac River branches off the right (west) bank. Mekong River plays an important role in Cambodian’s life. During the wet monsoon season of June to November, the high waters of the Mekong River reverse the flow of the Tônlé Sab River and increase the size of the lake from 2,600 to 10,400 sq km (about 1,000 to 4,020 sq mi). The lush green hills in the backdrop soothed my eyes, and the gentle tinkling of the waters, my soul. It runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the longest river in Southeast Asia. ... Long An and Tien Giang provinces. Most Mekong River … 6318). China has built at least 11 dams on the Mekong river. Major tributary systems develop in the Lower Basin. The Mekong River drains an area of 795,000 km2, bigger than the areas of Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, and Bulgaria all put together. It has an annual discharge of 475 km3, which is equivalent to filling up 520,548 Olympic-sized swimming pools each day! China and Laos are damming the river in … The living environment, especially human health, is affected by the discharge of untreated and low quality treated wastewater into receiving waters. On the Yangtze and its tributaries, about 100 dams were in various stages of construction in 2013. The Mekong Delta (in Vietnamese - Nine Dragon river delta) is the region in Southeast Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea. At times along its course it forms the international border between Myanmar and Laos, and between Laos and Thailand. The only sizeable river on the island is the Rach Cua Can river, which drains the southern part of the national park, and flows into the sea on the west coast of the island. It is home to over 60 million people. Waste water flowed directly into open drains or the river. However, when the year's heavy rains begin in June, the Tonlé sap backs up to form an enormous lake. The Upper Mekong rises in China’s Qinghai and flows through the eastern part of … It is the 11th -longest river in the world, and the 12th-largest by volume (discharging 475 cubic kilometres (114 cu … The first group are left bank tributaries that drain the high-rainfall areas of Lao PDR. Tonle Sap Lake is an important water supply for a great area of Cambodia. Many Cambodian livelihoods are dependent upon fish protein and flood irrigation from the Mekong. It is one of the world‘s longest and most important waterways. And as a traveller, those thousands of miles offer a wealth of adventures. 3.6 ). The Mekong is the world's 12th longest river and Asia's 7th longest. South of the Three Rivers Area, the river continues to drop through highlands … People bathe and do their laundry on the banks of the Sekong River in southern Laos before it joins the Mekong River. Er Hai drains into the Mekong via the Yangpai River through the Er Hai Gap . During the dry season, the stream-fed T“nl‚ Sap drains via the T“nl‚ Sab River into the Mekong River. From June, it starts raining heavily and Tonle Sap Lake banks up to form an enormous lake. Flowing through six countries, the Mekong drains into the South China Sea through the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The Lancang Basin: From here the river flows into the Lancang Basin in lower Yunnan where it transitions from steep gradients to mid and lowland plains, broadening as it goes. The River then drains into the South China Sea which is positioned South of Vietnam’s capital Ho Chi Minh City. When the Mekong is low, the Tonle Sap is a tributary; water flows from the lake and river into the Mekong. During the dry season it drains by the Tônlé Sap River southeast to the Mekong River. A tributary of the river that empties into the Mekong at Phnom Penh drains Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake. The present divide between the Mekong and the Yangtze is located on a former erosion surface that once carried drainage to the Yangtze (as shown by several wind gaps and barbed tributary drainage nets) is low and rolling in many places ( Fig. Flowing through Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, it drains into the South China Sea to the south of Ho Chi Minh City. But as I stood at the sacred confluence, watching the Nam Khan River drain into the Mekong, but not without resistance, so that you could make out the different waters even half a km away, I went into a peaceful trance. As the Mekong continues downstream, it reaches the confluence with the Xe Bang Fai River, which originates in the Annamite Mountains, and forms the boundary with Savannakhet Province. The people of Southeast Asia need the clean electricity—but also the fish and rice that an undammed river provides. ... Where the river empties into the South China Sea, at … (iii) River Irrawaddy drains into Irrawaddy delta into the Andaman Sea. It is Myanmar's largest river which originates from the confluence of the N'mai and Mali rivers. From the November to May is Cambodia’s dry season when Tonle Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. The Mekong River, one of the world’s major rivers, drains into the South China Sea.It is the 11th-longest river in the world, and the 12th-largest by volume (discharging 475 cubic kilometres (114 cu … When the Mekong floods, the flow reverses; the floodwaters of the Mekong flow up the Tonle Sap. 2.1.4. Harnessing the Mekong or Killing It? 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