VIENTIANE, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Mekong water level during this early flood season from June to July is among the lowest on record, falling below its historical minimum level.

Local newspaper Vientiane Times quoted Xaysana Bounyalath, who has been fishing in the river in capital Vientiane since 1975, as saying on Sunday that he had never known the water level be so low at this time of the year.

"As far as I am aware, the river is at a record low this rainy season," he said, adding that the situation was making it hard for him to earn a living as a fisherman.

A senior official at the Vientiane Water Supply Enterprise told the media last week that the low level of the river would disrupt the supply of water in Vientiane because the pumps that are stationed along the riverbank could not pump up water at their full capacity.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC), which monitors the flow of the Mekong, said last week that the level had fallen below the historical low.

The commission reported that the water level in the Mekong during the early flood season from June to July was lower than that recorded in 1992, which saw the lowest flow on record.

The MRC, which is a water diplomacy platform representing Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, also observed that rainfall has been very deficient in the Mekong basin since the beginning of this year. Enditem

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