While nations around the Mekong meet in Thailand to discuss the drying up of the river, China insists the current problems emanate from an act of nature.

Millions of dollars worth of Chinese cargo are stranded in barges along the Mekong, due to the low water levels.

Chinese dams along the Mekong have been blamed for disrupting the water supply, but the Chinese foreign ministry blames drought for water scarcity in the Mekong region.

China has built, or is planning to build, eight dams along the river. The Southeast Asian countries that blame Chinese construction have eleven dams of their own.

Al Jazeera's Melissa Chan reports from Yunnan province in China.