An article written by the ministry’s experts on the Vientiane Times daily on December 16 cited statistics as showing that for the first half of 2019, the rainfall in Nam Ou basin, the biggest of the Mekong tributaries in Laos, decreased 41 percent compared to the same period in 2018 and continued to drop to 29 percent during July to September.
In the overall context of global warming, the Mekong River basin is facing challenges of rising temperatures and increasing droughts, said the authors.
According to the Lao Meteorological Data, the rainfall in the upper reaches of the Mekong River (the Lancang River basin) in April, May, June and August 2019 was 51 percent, 71 percent, 39 percent, and 43 percent less respectively than the long-term average.
Moreover, the Mekong River Commission Secretariat had also reported less rainfall during the rainy season in the Mekong River region. Based on the above-mentioned reasons, it could be concluded that the drought is a result of less rainfall, according to the article.
