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China ready to provide data on Mekong water level

China has agreed to provide data on the Mekong River ’s water levels in order to boost efforts to cope with the river’s alarming drought, according to the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
China has agreed to provide data on the Mekong River ’s water levels in order toboost efforts to cope with the river’s alarming drought, according to the MekongRiver Commission (MRC).

The Bangkok-based agency said that China wouldprovide it with hydrological data from the country’s upstream monitoringstations on the Mekong where more than 60 million people in many countries areliving on.

Jeremy Bird, MRC Secretariat chief, considered China’sdecision “a very positive sign” that is expected to open a new level ofcooperation between China and countries along the lower Mekong River basin, thustogether addressing the great challenges facing riverside countries, includingfood security and climate change.

MRC also highly valued China’sdecision as it was made just on the threshold of a meeting of four nations ofthe lower Mekong River basin, including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, inHua Hin city, Thailand, in April.

The meeting will discuss measures tomanage the Mekong River water resource, which now stands at the lowest level for20 years./.
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