New power plants blamed for turning Mekong River blue

The Mekong River has turned a bright and striking blue, but this eye-catching sight has raised concerns about the environment and the livelihoods of those living in the region.

The Mekong runs for nearly 3,100 miles and flows through China, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Cambodia, filling a vast rice-bowl delta in Vietnam that empties into the South China Sea around Ho Chi Minh City. It is normally a yellowish-brown due to the sediment it carries downstream.

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Simon Roughneen