A fisherman is seen next to docked scattered boats on a dried up tributary that connects to the Tonle Sap lake in Kampong Khleang, Cambodia July 6, 2020. Picture taken July 6, 2020. REUTERS/Prak Chan Thul

Scattered boats are seen in the dried up tributary that connects to the Tonle Sap lake in Kampong Khleang, Cambodia July 6, 2020. Picture taken July 6, 2020. REUTERS/Prak Chan Thul

A Buddha statue overlooks docked scattered boats on a dried up tributary that connects to the Tonle Sap lake in Kampong Khleang, Cambodia July 6, 2020. Picture taken July 6, 2020. REUTERS/Prak Chan Thul TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Scattered boats are seen in the dried up tributary that connects to the Tonle Sap lake in Kampong Khleang, Cambodia July 6, 2020. Picture taken July 6, 2020. REUTERS/Prak Chan Thul

Scattered boats are seen in the dried up tributary that connects to the Tonle Sap lake in Kampong Khleang, Cambodia July 6, 2020. Picture taken July 6, 2020. REUTERS/Prak Chan Thul

Reduced to a string of stagnant mustard-coloured pools, fouled in places with pesticide runoff and stinking with the rotting carcasses of cattle and fish, the Darling River is running dry. The parched earth of Australia's longest waterway, if tributaries are included, is in the grip of the continent's most severe drought in a century. At Menindee, 830 km west of Sydney, despair has turned to anger as residents blame the government for exacerbating the drought by drawing down river water in 2017 for irrigation and other uses downstream. Locals now avoid using tap water for drinking and washing babies and children, saying it has caused skin irritation, and prefer boxed and bottled water instead. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy SEARCH "NEARMY DROUGHT" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. Matching text: AUSTRALIA-DROUGHT/RIVER TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A field is sprinkled with the remnants of cotton after a harvest in Trangie, Australia, September 4, 2019. The parched earth of Australia's longest waterway, if tributaries are included, is in the grip of the continent's most severe drought in a century. Drought is weighing on economic growth, and the dire conditions have prompted Australia, a major wheat exporter, to import the grain for the first time in 12 years. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy SEARCH "NEARMY DROUGHT" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Reduced to a string of stagnant mustard-coloured pools, fouled in places with pesticide runoff and stinking with the rotting carcasses of cattle and fish, the Darling River is running dry. The parched earth of Australia's longest waterway, if tributaries are included, is in the grip of the continent's most severe drought in a century. At Menindee, 830 km west of Sydney, despair has turned to anger as residents blame the government for exacerbating the drought by drawing down river water in 2017 for irrigation and other uses downstream. Locals now avoid using tap water for drinking and washing babies and children, saying it has caused skin irritation, and prefer boxed and bottled water instead. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy SEARCH "NEARMY DROUGHT" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. Matching text: AUSTRALIA-DROUGHT/RIVER TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

People paddle a dugout canoe along the Ruki river, a tributary to the Congo river, at sunset in Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, October 20, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Nicolon

The Ruki river, a tributary to the Congo river, flows along the rainforest near Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, April 02, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Nicolon

People paddle dugout canoes along the Ruki river, a tributary to the Congo river, at sunset in Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Nicolon

Fishermen paddle along the Ruki river, a tributary to the Congo river, near the village of Bantoyi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Nicolon SEARCH "BUSHMEAT NICOLON" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A man rows his boat in the tributary waters of Vembanad Lake against the backdrop of pre-monsoon clouds on the outskirts of Kochi, India, June 7, 2019. REUTERS/Sivaram V TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Fishermen travel in a boat in the tributary waters of the Periyar River at Munambam on the outskirts of Kochi in the southern state of Kerala, India, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Sivaram V

Maps showing Ganges and its tributaries as well as population density along the river.

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A resident is seen during a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents are seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents are seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Resident Ketlen dos Santos, 26, and her son Ralisson, 8, are seen next to their house after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents are seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents are seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, on a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen after a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Houses on fire are seen at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Residents look at houses on fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Residents look at houses on fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A resident is seen during a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents are seen during a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen during a fire at Educando neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents are seen during a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A resident is seen with her dog during a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents are seen during a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

A man looks at houses on fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Firefighters and residents work during a fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents look at houses on fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Houses on fire are seen at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Houses on fire are seen at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro, a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Residents look at houses on fire at Educandos neighbourhood, a branch of the Rio Negro a tributary to the Amazon river, in the city of Manaus, Brazil December 17, 2018. Picture taken December 17, 2018. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly

Purple yams and a pot containing rice noodles placed by villagers are seen at a hot spring attraction in Rucheng county, Hunan province, China December 2, 2018. Picture taken December 2, 2018. To match Insight CHINA-ECONOMY/DEBT-RUCHENG. REUTERS/Shu Zhang

A stream outside Bjordal in Norway, July 31, 2018. Picture taken July 31, 2018. To match Special Report OCEANS-TIDE/FUTURE REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Fishing boats are seen anchored in the tributary waters of the Periyar River on the outskirts of Kochi, Kerala State, India, September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Sivaram V SEARCH "SIVARAM DAMS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A girl eats her meal in a mountain village on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river near Leshan in Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. Authorities have demolished seven small dam projects this year along a river to clear illegal developments in a new nature reserve. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

People from Yi ethnic minority group pass the time outside their home as others pass on the motorcycle in a mountain village on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river near Leshan in Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

An elderly woman passes the time outside her home in a village that houses a privately-owned small power station on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river near Leshan in Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

People from Yi ethnic minority group pass the time outside their home in a mountain village on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river near Leshan in Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. Authorities have demolished seven small dam projects this year along a river to clear illegal developments in a new nature reserve. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Children play pool in a mountain village on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river near Leshan in Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. Authorities have demolished seven small dam projects this year along a river to clear illegal developments in a new nature reserve. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Entertainment program is shown on a TV set in a control room of one of the surviving privately-owned small power plants on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river near Leshan in Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A woman sweeps the road in a village that houses a privately-owned small power station on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river near Leshan in Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A worker checks the equipment inside a small privately-owned power station on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river near Leshan in Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A man finds shelter from the heavy rain inside a tunnel next to a massive Pubugou Dam on the Dadu river, a tributary of the Yangtze River in Hanyuan County of Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Children cool themselves in one of the tributary of Zhougong River near Ya'an in Sichuan province, China, August 4, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Water is released as heavy rain falls at a massive Pubugou Dam on the Dadu river, a tributary of the Yangtze River in Hanyuan County of Sichuan province, China, August 3, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

In a mountain village in southwest China's Sichuan province, authorities have demolished seven small dam projects this year along a river to clear illegal developments in a new nature reserve. The demolition is part of a nationwide programme to close hundreds of tiny and often ramshackle dams and turbines and bring order to China's massive hydropower sector after years of unconstrained construction. The dams sat on an unnamed tributary of the fierce and flood-prone Dadu river, which feeds into the Yangtze, Asia's largest and longest river, where the government says the "irregular development" of thousands of small hydropower projects has wrecked the ecology. But green groups say the campaign will not necessarily save the environment because it will not affect big state hydropower stations, which they say have caused the most damage. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "HYDROPOWER CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: CHINA-HYDROPOWER/