Vietnamese expert hails China's water discharge in Mekong River cooperative move

HANOI -- The fact that China discharges water in Mekong River is a cooperative move, said an Vietnamese expert on water resources on Friday.

Pham Hong Giang, President of Vietnam National Committee on Large Dams and Water Resources Development, former Deputy Minister of Vietnam's Agriculture and Rural Development, made the remark in an interview with Xinhua by phone.

"China's releasing water in Mekong River is a cooperative move," Giang said.

The Jinghong Hydropower Station in southwest China's Yunan Province has begun discharging 2,000 cubic meters of water on a daily basis, until April 10, Chinese Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei said Wednesday.

"The distance from Jinghong Hydropower Station to Vietnam's Mekong River Delta is very long," the Vietnamese expert introduced, adding that there are many dry areas in need of water on the way to Vietnam's Mekong River Delta.

"When water can reach Vietnam's Mekong River Delta, the effectiveness of alleviating drought will be partially limited," Giang said.

Mekong River originates in China and runs through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is known as Lancang in the Chinese stretch.

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 threatened people's livelihood in the region.