Floodwaters in the Mekong Delta are more than 1 meter lower than normal.

Currently, the Mekong River's water levels are similar to those of the historically dry year of 2015. A report from the MDM (Mekong Dam Monitoring Project) summarizes: Drought is recurring with increasing severity in most areas of the Mekong River basin. Water levels at all monitoring stations along the main channel are falling, and most are at unprecedented record lows. Water storage at upstream dams, particularly in China and Laos, continues to exacerbate the drought.

The Mekong Delta is unlikely to experience floods in 2023.

Upstream hydropower plants increase water storage.

According to the Mekong River Commission (MDM), over the past week, hydroelectric dams across the basin have stored a total of nearly 2 billion cubic meters of water. Dams storing over 300 million cubic meters include the Xiaoluan Dam (China) and dams in Laos such as Nam Ngum 1, Nam Ngiep 1, and Nam Theun 2. Water storage during the rainy season is detrimental to Mekong river communities because it lowers the Mekong River's water level and reduces the benefits of the Mekong floodwaters.

Estimates indicate that in Chiang Saen (Thailand), just downstream from the Chinese dams, the flow is 38% lower than normal. River levels across most of the Mekong basin are low and trending downwards. Water levels in Vientiane (Laos) are near record lows, and river levels in Stung Treng (Cambodia) are about 2 meters below normal.

Floodwaters in September remain low.

A similar report from the Southern Irrigation Planning Institute stated: During the middle of the rainy season, water levels rose slightly last week, but remained low on the main channel of the Mekong River. By August 31st, the water level at the Kratie station in Cambodia was 2.89m lower than the multi-year average. At Tan Chau on the Tien River, the highest water level recorded on August 30th was 1.03m lower than the multi-year average and 0.04m lower than in 2015. 2015, a year with El Niño, was one of the years with low Mekong River flood levels. Similarly, at Chau Doc on the Hau River, water levels were 0.62m lower than the multi-year average but 0.1m higher than in 2015.

Water level trends in 2023 are similar to those in 2015.

Forecasts indicate that in September, water levels in the upstream areas of the Mekong River at Tan Chau and Chau Doc will tend to rise at an average rate of about 2-3.5 cm/day. By September 30th, the highest water level at Tan Chau reached 3.1m, 0.52m lower than the multi-year average; while at Chau Doc it was 2.8m, 0.43m lower than the multi-year average. These water levels are still significantly lower than alarm level 1.

However, in the central region, due to the combined impact of upstream water flow and high tides, water levels at the Can Tho station on the Hau River could reach 2.1m, 0.45m higher than the multi-year average; and at My Thuan on the Tien River, 2m, 0.53m higher than the multi-year average. Both stations are 0.1m higher than in 2022.

In coastal areas, people need to be aware of and take precautions against high tides. The predicted peak tide in September 2023 is significantly higher than the multi-year average and even higher than the peak tides of 2022 and 2021. High tides are likely to cause flooding in low-lying areas, especially in coastal provinces such as Ben Tre, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau , and Kien Giang.

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