El umfula iMekong yinde kunazo zonke eNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia, ingeyesikhombisa ubude e-Asia futhi ingeyeshumi nambili ngobude emhlabeni. Njengoba ibonke ubude bayo cishe amakhilomitha angu-4.350, ikhula esiFundazweni sase-Qinghai, e-China, futhi igeleza eMpumalanga Tibet Autonomous Region naseSifundazweni saseYunnan. Ibaluleke kakhulu ezingeni lezomnotho.
Ngakho-ke, sizonikezela lesi sihloko ukuze sikutshele konke okudingeka ukwazi ngomfula iMekong nezici zawo.
Izici eziyinhloko
I-Mekong River Basin ihlanganisa ngaphezu kwamakhilomitha-skwele angama-313. (amakhilomitha-skwele angu-810), kusukela e-Qinghai-Tibet Plateau kuya oLwandle LwaseSouth China. Phakathi kwemifula yase-Asia, iYangtze kanye neGanges kuphela ezinokugeleza okuncane okuphakeme.
I-Mekong iwela ezindaweni eziphakeme zaseYunnan, futhi umehluko phakathi kwezimo ezingokomzimba zokufinyelela kwayo okungaphezulu nokuphansi kuyayihlukanisa ibe izingxenye ezimbili eziyinhloko.
Umfula iMekong ongenhla ugeleza amakhilomitha angu-1.215 (amakhilomitha angu-1.955) esigodini esincane, cishe ingxenye yesine yendawo yonke, unqamule izintaba namathafa aseningizimu-ntshonalanga yeChina (bheka isihloko soMfula iKaola). IMekong engezansi, ngaphansi kwendawo lapho akha khona umngcele wendawo phakathi kweMyanmar neLaos, ingumfula omude ongamakhilomitha angu-1485. igeleza ethafeni laseKorat enyakatho-mpumalanga yeThailand.
Imithambeka esentshonalanga yezintaba ze-An Nam eLaos naseVietnam, kanye naseCambodia, bese ifinyelela olwandle ngemifula eseningizimu yeVietnam. Enhla nomfula, iMekong iphuma eThafeni laseQinghai-Tibet phakathi kweSalween neYangtze; umfula usika ujule endaweni emagebhugebhu ogeleza kuwo.
Njengoba inweba emfuleni phakathi kweMyanmar neLaos, uMfula iMekong uthatha indawo engamakhilomitha-skwele angu-8.000 (amakhilomitha-skwele angu-21.000) wendawo yaseMyanmar, okuhlanganisa nendawo emagebhugebhu nengafinyeleleki kalula. Ezindaweni eziphansi, iMekong yakha umngcele phakathi kweLaos neThailand amabanga amade, okugqugquzela ukungqubuzana nokubambisana phakathi kweCambodia, Laos, Thailand, neVietnam.
Mekong River Climate
Ukugeleza komfula iMekong kuvela ngokuyinhloko emvuleni engaphansi komfula., okushintshashintsha ngezikhathi ezithile zonyaka nezimvula. Ngo-April, izimoto ngokuvamile zincane. Ngo-May noma ngo-June, lapho kufika imvula yaseningizimu enemvula, ukugeleza kuqala ukwanda, ikakhulukazi ezindaweni eziphakeme ezisempumalanga nasenyakatho.
Amazinga aphezulu amanzi eMekong avela enhla nomfula ngo-August noma ngo-September, futhi eningizimu kuze kube u-October. I-monsoon yasenyakatho-mpumalanga ivame ukuqala ngoNovemba ezindaweni eziseningizimu, ilethe isimo sezulu esomile ngoMeyi. Phakathi nesikhathi eside esomile, irayisi alinakutshalwa ngaphandle kokuniselwa, futhi amanzi omfula abalulekile kwezolimo. Amazinga okushisa endaweni ephansi ye-Mekong afudumele ngokufanayo unyaka wonke.
Ukuphakama kwansuku zonke kwe-Phnom Penh okuphakathi kuka-89 °F (32 °C) kanye nokwehla okumaphakathi okungu-74 °F (23 °C). Engxenyeni engenhla yomgodi, amazinga okushisa alinganiselwe ngokwezinga elithile ngokuphakama, ngokuvamile apholile kunalawo aseningizimu, futhi abonisa ukushintshashintsha okukhulu kwesizini.
Ukungcoliswa komfula iMekong
Ongoti sebexwayise ngokuthi ubhasikidi wezokudla kuleli, iMekong Delta, usengcupheni yokushoda kwamanzi ahlanzekile njengoba izinga lamanzi lehle lafinyelela ezingeni eliphansi kakhulu eminyakeni eyi-100. Ngo-2015, izinga lamanzi kule ndawo lehla kakhulu ngamamitha angu-15, ngokwe-Vietnam Society of Geology and Hydrology.
Esikhathini esedlule, abantu babedinga ukumba imithombo ejule ngamamitha ayi-100 ukuze bathole amanzi ahlanzekile. Namuhla, noma umba ujule ngamamitha angu-200, awunaso isiqiniseko sokuthi amanzi ayasebenza yini ngoba amaningi awo angcoliswe usawoti namakhemikhali. Khonamanjalo, umbiko ovela ku-Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) ubonisa ukuthi ukugeleza kwamanje e-Mekong engenhla kwehle kancane, okuholele ekungeneni kwamanzi anosawoti ezinyangeni ezimbili ngaphambi kokujwayelekile ngo-2016.
Ukungena kwamanzi anosawoti kubikwe ezifundazweni ezingu-11 kwezingu-13 nomasipala baseMekong Delta. Ilinganiselwa ku-210.000 amahektha ezilimo ezilimele kusukela ekupheleni kuka-2015. Cishe amakhaya angama-250.000 kanye nabantu abayizigidi eziyi-1,3 abaswele amanzi nsuku zonke. Khonamanjalo, uSolwazi Stefanola, uchwepheshe wezamanzi angaphansi komhlaba waseJalimane, uxwayise ngokuthi amanzi aseMekong Delta angase angcoliswe i-arsenic.
Uchwepheshe, owenze ucwaningo lwesayensi ngezixazululo zokusetshenziswa okuqhubekayo kwamanzi angaphansi komhlaba eNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia, uthe ukugxila kwe-arsenic emanzini angaphansi komhlaba eNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia kungaphezu kwamazinga aphephile (10 mg/l) ezindaweni eziningi.
I-Arsenic inemiphumela emibi kakhulu empilweni yomuntu, esho, enxusa ososayensi ukuthi bathole ukuhlushwa kwe-arsenic emanzini aseMekong Delta ngokushesha ngangokunokwenzeka. Lesi sixwayiso sivele ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ezedlule engqungqutheleni yezixazululo zobuchwepheshe zokuphathwa nokusetshenziswa kwamanzi, amandla kanye nomhlaba eMekong Delta, eyayihlelwe iziphathimandla zedolobha laseCan Tho zoMnyango Wezemfundo Nokucwaninga waseJalimane.
Umnotho
Ezindaweni ezingaphansi komfula, ukuvikelwa kwezikhukhula kanye nokuphathwa kwemithombo yamanzi kunikeza amathuba abalulekile okwandisa umkhiqizo wezomnotho.
Abalimi abashintshanisa izitshalo ezindaweni eziphakeme kanye nabalimi berayisi ezindaweni eziphansi ezinemvula bangakhiqiza isilimo esisodwa ngonyaka ngaphansi kwezimo ezijwayelekile, basebenzise ithuba lemvula ngenkathi yezimvula.
Ingxenye yomhlaba olimekayo incike ngandlela thize ezikhukhuleni. Nokho, ukuwalawula kuvumela la manzi ukuba agcinwe futhi asetshenziswe ngenkathi eyomile ukuze akhiqize izitshalo zesibili noma zesithathu. Ukwengeza, ukuchelela okuhlangene nokuvikelwa kwezikhukhula kuthuthukisa umhlaba olimekayo ngokunciphisa ukulahlekelwa nokubambezeleka okubangelwa ukugcwala kosebe lomfula. Sebethuthukisiwe ukufakwa kukagesi ngamanzi amancane ezindaweni ezinezindawo zokugcina amanzi ezingcono kanye nemithambeka eyehlayo.
Umsebenzi omningi walo msebenzi wentuthuko wenziwa ngaphansi kweKomidi Lesikhashana Lokuxhumanisa Ucwaningo e-Lower Mekong Basin (Mekong River Commission), eyahlelwa ngo-1957 yiCambodia, Laos, Thailand, neNyakatho yeVietnam. Ngemva kuka-1975, iVietnam yathatha isikhundla seSouth Vietnam ekomitini kanti iCambodia ayisahlanganyeli, kodwa iCambodia isiphinde yaba yilungu kusukela ngo-1991. Ikomidi lixhase uphenyo oluningi lwangaphambi kokutshalwa kwezimali kanye nolwesayensi jikelele futhi lenza ukwakhiwa kwamaphrojekthi amaningana amanzi.
Ngithemba ukuthi ngalolu lwazi ungafunda kabanzi mayelana noMfula iMekong nezici zawo.