Dziwani Zambiri za Mtsinje Waukulu wa Mekong

MTSINJE wa Mekong umadutsa m’mayiko sikisi a ku Asia, ndipo umathandiza anthu pafupifupi 100 miliyoni ochokera m’mafuko pafupifupi 100. Mu mtsinjewu mumagwidwa nsomba zokwana matani 1.3 miliyoni pachaka, zomwe n’zowirikiza kanayi zimene zimagwidwa mu nyanja ya North Sea! Mtsinjewu ndi wautali makilomita 4,350 ndipo ndi wautali kwambiri kum’mwera chakum’mawa kwa Asia konse. Ndipo popeza umadutsa m’mayiko angapo, mtsinjewu uli ndi mayina ambiri. Koma lodziwika kwambiri n’loti Mekong, lomwe ndi chidule cha mawu a Chithai akuti Mae Nam Khong.

Mtsinje wa Mekong unayambira ku mapiri a Himalaya ndipo umayenda mothamanga ndi mwamphamvu ukamatsika m’mapiri n’kumadutsa m’zigwembe zakuya. Ukamafika ku China, kumene umatchedwa Lancang, umakhala utadutsa mtunda wokwana theka la utali wonse wa mtsinjewu ndipo umakhala utatsika mamita 4,500. Ku theka lake lomaliza, mtsinje wa Mekong umatsika mamita 500 okha. Chifukwa cha zimenezi, madzi a mbali imeneyi ya mtsinjewu amayenda pang’onopang’ono. Ukachoka ku China, mtsinjewu umapanga malire a dziko la Myanmar ndi Laos, ndiponso mbali yaikulu ya malire a dziko la Laos ndi Thailand. Ukafika ku Cambodia umagawikana pawiri ndipo umalowa m’dziko la Vietnam uli mphanda ziwiri zimene zimagawikananso n’kupanga mphanda zina zambiri zomwe zimakathira mu nyanja ya South China Sea.

Kumapeto kwa zaka za m’ma 1860, Afalansa anayesera kupeza njira yodutsira mu mtsinje wa Mekong kupita ku China. Koma anagwiritsidwa mwala pamene anakumana ndi mathithi pafupi ndi tawuni ya Kratie ku Cambodia, ndi mathithi oopsa otsatizanatsatizana otchedwa mathithi a Khone, kum’mwera kwa dziko la Laos. Pa mathithi a Khone pamatsika madzi ochuluka kwambiri kuposa mathithi ena alionse pa dziko lapansi. Madzi amene amatsika pa mathithiwa ndi owirikiza kawiri amene amatsika pa mathithi a Niagara, amene ali m’malire a dziko la Canada ndi United States.

Mtsinje Wopatsa Moyo

Mtsinje wa Mekong ndi wofunika kwambiri pa ntchito zachuma za chigawo cha kum’mwera chakum’mawa kwa Asia. Mzinda wa Vientiane, likulu la dziko la Laos, ndi mzinda wa Phnom Penh, likulu la dziko la Cambodia, yonse iwiri ili pa magombe a mtsinjewu. Anthu a m’dziko la Vietnam, lomwe lili kumunsi kwa mtsinje wa Mekong, amadalira kwambiri mtsinjewu pa moyo wawo. Ukalowa m’dziko limeneli umagawikana kaseveni, ndipo  kumathero kwake unagawikanagawikana pa dera lalikulu masikweya kilomita 40,000, lokhala ndi madzi odutsa mtunda wa makilomita 3,200. Madzi ochuluka chonchiwa amathirira minda ya mpunga ndi mbewu zina ndipo amabweretsa nthaka ya chonde. Zimenezi zimachititsa kuti alimi azitha kulima mpunga, womwe ndi chakudya chodalirika cha anthu ambiri, katatu pachaka. N’chifukwa chake dziko la Vietnam lili lachiwiri pa mayiko amene amagulitsa mpunga wambiri padziko lonse lapansi, pambuyo pa dziko la Thailand.

Mtsinje wa Mekong uli ndi mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya nsomba yokwana pafupifupi 1,200, ndipo zina mwa zimenezi, kuphatikizapo nkhanu, zimachita kuwetedwa. Nsomba ina yodziwika bwino, yotchedwa trey riel, inatchuka pa chifukwa chapadera. Ndalama ya ku Cambodia, yotchedwa riel, dzina lake linachokera ku nsomba imeneyi. Mu mtsinje wa Mekong mumapezekanso mtundu winawake wa mlamba, umene umatha kukula mpaka mamita 2.75, koma milamba imeneyi sikupezeka ngati kale. M’chaka cha 2005, asodzi anagwira mlamba wolemera makilogalamu 290! Mwina imeneyi inali nsomba yaikulu kwambiri yomwe inagwidwapo m’madzi opanda mchere padziko lonse lapansi. Mtundu wina wa zamoyo zimene zatsala pang’ono kutha mu mtsinje wa Mekong, ndi ma dolphin otchedwa Irrawaddy. Ochita kafukufuku akuti mwina mu mtsinjewu mwatsala ma dolphin amenewa osakwana 100.

Kupatula pa kudyetsa anthu mamiliyoni ambiri, mu mtsinje wa Mekong mumayendanso mabwato a mitundu yosiyanasiyana. Mumayenda mabwato ang’onoang’ono amene amanyamula anthu, aakulu onyamula katundu, ndi sitima zonyamula katundu zimene zimapita ndi kuchokera ku nyanja. Mtsinjewunso umakopa kwambiri alendo, ndipo ambiri amakonda kupitirira pa mathithi a Khone kukaona mzinda wa Vientiane. Mzindawu umatchuka ndi ngalande zake za madzi, nyumba zake zachipembedzo, ndi nyumba za anthu zomangidwa pamathandala apamadzi. Ndiponso, mzindawu wakhala kuchimake kwa malonda, ndale, ndi chipembedzo kwa zaka zoposa 1,000. Kuchokera ku Vientiane, munthu akhoza kuyenda pamtsinjepa kukafika ku Louangphrabang. Mzinda wapagombe umenewu kale unali likulu la dziko la anthu achithai ndi achilao, ndipo kwa kanthawi, kuphatikizapo nyengo imene Afalansa ankalamulira derali, unalinso likulu la dziko la Laos. Mu mzinda wakalewu mumaonekabe zizindikiro zosonyeza kuti unalamuliridwapo ndi Afalansa.

Pa nyengo yaposachedwapa, zinthu pa mtsinje wa Mekong zayamba kusintha modetsa nkhawa. Kusintha kumeneku kukuphatikizapo kupha nsomba mosasamala, kudula mitengo mwachisawawa, ndi kumanga madamu aakulu opangira magetsi. Kwa anthu ambiri oona zomwe zikuchitikazi, zikuoneka ngati zinthu sizingakhalenso bwino. Koma chiyembekezo chilipo.

Baibulo limalonjeza kuti Mlengi wathu wachikondi posachedwapa adzalowerera pa zochitika za anthu pogwiritsa ntchito Ufumu wake. (Danieli 2:44; 7:13, 14; Mateyo 6:10) Motsogozedwa ndi boma langwiro lapadziko lonse limenelo, dziko lonse lapansi lidzabwerera mwakale, ndipo ‘mitsinje idzawomba m’manja,’ mophiphiritsira chifukwa cha chimwemwe. (Salmo 98:7-9) Chiyembekezo chathu n’choti mtsinje wa Mekong udzawomba nawo m’manja.

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(Onani m’magazini yeniyeni kuti mumvetse izi)

CHINA

MYANMAR

LAOS

THAILAND

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

Mtsinje wa Mekong

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Minda ya mpunga, kumathero kwa mtsinje wa Mekong

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Nsomba za mitundu pafupifupi 1,200 zimapezeka mu mtsinje wa Mekong

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Msika wapamadzi, ku Vietnam

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Rice paddies: ©Jordi Camí/age fotostock; fishing: ©Stuart Pearce/World Pictures/age fotostock; background: © Chris Sattlberger/Panos Pictures

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Market: ©Lorne Resnick/age fotostock; woman: ©Stuart Pearce/World Pictures/age fotostock