Damming Concerns: Vietnam Sounds Alarm as China’s Upstream Projects Raise Flooding Fears
Vietnam Worried About Dropping Dams Upstream as Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cooperates to Prevent Flooding
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 11th that it is cooperating with Vietnam on countermeasures and river flood prevention, which has suffered severe damage from Typhoon No. 11 (Yagi). Vietnam is concerned that water levels in rivers will rise due to the release of water from dams in Chinese territory, causing further damage. Filmed on the 11th in Hanoi. (2024 Reuters/Khanh Vu)
Typhoon Damage in Vietnam
HANOI (Reuters) - China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 11th that it is cooperating with Vietnam on measures and prevention of river flooding, which has suffered severe damage from Typhoon Hagibis. Vietnam is concerned that water levels in rivers will rise due to the release of water from dams in Chinese territory, causing further damage.
In Vietnam, which was hit directly by the extremely powerful Typhoon No. 11, more than 150 people died. The Red River, which runs through the capital Hanoi, is flooding, and factories in coastal areas are flooded, disrupting production.
Cooperation Between China and Vietnam
The foreign ministries of Vietnam and China say they are working together to reduce risks in the main stream of the Red River.
However, authorities in Ha Giang, a city near the Chinese border, warned on the 11th that water levels in the Lo River, a tributary of the Red River, could rise due to the release of Chinese dams.
Asked whether China and Vietnam were cooperating on the release of dams and the Lo River, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a regular press conference, “(The two countries are maintaining a close and effective dialogue and working on control water flow and flood prevention. the Red River on the Chinese side.
Nguyen Hoang Hiep, vice minister of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, confirmed that the Chinese dam had released water on the afternoon of the 11th. The vice minister said, “We received written notice in advance from China, so we are ready. The amount released is small. There will be some impact, but it is not expected to have much downstream impact.”