>> Lao plan to build dam harms Vietnam: expert
The construction of Xayabury hydroelectric dam in Laos will threaten biodiversity of Mekong River, said a representative from WWF.
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| The Xayaburi dam could impact people and the environment (Illustration photo) |
The Mekong River Delta is one of the bio-diverse regions in the world.
Dr. Suphasuk Pradubsuk, National Policy Coordinator for the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) in Thailand, said, “Mekong River is a unique and particularly complex ecosystem that hosts the most productive inland fisheries in the world, and is second only to the Amazon in number of fish species.”
If the Xayabury hydroelectric dam is built, it will pose risk for millions of people and species in the Mekong Delta region. He added that the investors in the dam project should take note of Thailand’s failures with a similar project on the Mun River.
The Mun River dam was built in the 1990s. The construction cost of the dam exceeded the projected budget. Also, the dam also wreaked havoc on the seafood industry, forcing local people to migrate from their homes.
The Thai Government is now considering permanently opening the floodgates of the Mun River dam in the hopes of repairing the ecological damage that was done to the river, a branch of the Mekong.
At USD233 million, the Mun River dam ended up costing twice the amount of the original estimate. Energy production from the dam was only one third of what was expected.
Suphasuk Pradubsuk highlighted that hastily-done environmental and social impact studies could lead to a lose-lose situation for both investors and people who live in the impacted areas.
Similar risks are foreseen by experts concerning a dam in Xayaburi, scheduled to be built downstream on the Mekong.
According to Suphasuk, many banks in Thailand plan to support CH Karnchang PCL Company in the risky Xayaburi dam project.
Possible impacts for Vietnam
Truong Hong Tien, an official from the Vietnam National Mekong River Committee, said Laos will benefit the most from the dam. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s seafood production may drop by from 200,000-400,000 tonnes per year as a result.
Nguyen Thai Lai, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said, the dam will severely impact the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, one of the most fertile growing regions in the country. The region provides food for around 17 million people. The Mekong Delta region may also face a rise in sea levels, causing other risks.
The committee calls both local and international organisations to help conduct a comprehensive study on the entire Mekong region to fully understand the possible environmental and social impacts of the dam project.
They strongly urge that the project be postponed until such a study is completed.
WWF supports a 10-year delay in the approval of all lower mainstream Mekong dam projects, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of all the impacts of their construction and operation.
Xayaburi is one of 12 hydropower dams in the mainstream of Mekong River. Its total investment is projected at USD3.5 billion. The dam is 810m long and has been designed for a capacity of 1,260MW.
The Lao government informed the Secretariat of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) of the project in October, 2010. They are consulting with Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam through which the river runs. The consultation is expected to be completed April 22.
