An academic on water resources engineering said the Mekong River turned clearly blue because the Xayaburi dam in Laos is withholding water.

Assist Prof Nat Marjang of the Department of Water Resources Engineering at Kasetsart University said the Mekong River turned blue in the dry season because the Xayaburi dam was withholding water for its electricity generation.

The water retention slowed down the current of the river and most sediments was settling in the reservoir of the dam.

Consequently, water discharged from the generators of the dam was clear in the downstream sections of the river from Loei province via Bung Kan and Nakhon Phanom to Ubon Ratchathani province, Assist Prof Nat said.

Source: TNA