The Mekong 2026 wet season has arrived, and dams in the basin are beginning to transition from months of releasing water during the dry season to store forthcoming rainfall. Dry season water releases from upstream kept river levels high above normal, doubling or nearly doubling river levels from March – May. High river levels during the dry season are extremely harmful to local ecologies like Cambodia’s protected flooded forests and to natural resource provisions which rely on seasonally low levels. Looking ahead, an El Niño–potentially an extremely strong one–will likely impact timing and amount of rainfall in the region and contribute to higher-than-usual heat.
How will dam operators react to the El Niño and shifts in rainfall? What does El Niño mean for the Mekong river, local communities which rely on it for fishing and farming, and hydropower production?
Join the Mekong Dam Monitor team for its forecast for the 2026 wet season and overview of dam operations and other developments during the 2026 dry season. Guest speakers will discuss the implications of El Nino on regional power systems and agricultural productivity.
