Don’t jump to conclusions over data on distressed Mekong River, says China official
A Chinese official in a Mekong River intergovernmental body has warned against jumping to conclusions about data on the distressed waterway, saying that politics may get in the way of closer cooperation between upstream and downstream countries along the waterway.
“Some parties start with preconceptions, and even come to a conclusion before they analyse the data,” Mr Hao Zhao, secretary-general of the Beijing-based Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Centre, told The Straits Times in an interview on Monday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) international conference in Vientiane, Laos.
The conference preceded the MRC Summit, which starts on Wednesday.
Data is merely a tool for further inquiry, he said, referring to the United States-backed Mekong Dam Monitor run by the Stimson Centre which uses remote sensing and satellite imagery to keep track of dam operations and water levels along the waterway.
Tan Hui Yee/The Straits Times
