People walk on the Mekong River bridge in Stung Treng province, Cambodia, April 1, 2015. [Photo: Xinhua]

China has announced it will implement emergency water release measures at a hydropower station to relieve a major drought in Southeast Asia.

Countries along the Mekong River have experienced one of the worst droughts in the region in a century. Vietnam recently sent a request to the Chinese government for emergency aid.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said China had already launched relief measures.

"Since the end of last year, due to El Nino, countries along the Lancang-Mekong river have experienced varying degrees of drought, and the situation has worsened. The Chinese government has made our utmost efforts to assist those affected. Beginning today and until April 10th, we will carry out water releases at our Jinghong Hydropower Station to minimize the impact of the drought felt by countries including Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We hope the measure will be effective in addressing the problem. "

Lu added China is pushing forward a water collaboration project with those five countries along the Lancong-Mekong River to further benefit the region.

The river originates in China's northwestern Qinghai Province and covers more than 41-hundred kilometers.

Its Chinese portion is called the Lancong, while Mekong refers to its southeast Asian leg.

The Jinghong Hydropower Station is located in China's southwestern Yunnan province, along the Lancong River.