Xayaburi Dam “could destroy” the Mekong

The construction of Xayaburi Dam in Laos could lead to the destruction of the Mekong River, said an expert.

Dao Trong Tu, Former Deputy General Secretary of Mekong River Commission (MRC), said in a forum on the dam project that after Xayaburi Dam is built, many other hydroelectric dams on the river would be sure to follow in years to come, which would threaten the river’s ecology, along with millions of people who live along its banks.

The forum was held on April 18 in Hanoi by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

During the forum, P’Eang, Director of the Thai Foundation for Ecological Recovery, said Thailand’s big newspapers such as Bangkok Post or The Nation objected strongly to the plans.

Also on April 18, a group of around 100 Thai people gathered in front of Lao embassy in Bangkok to deliver a letter in opposition to the project. However, their letter have not yet been received, so they will send them to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs today [April 19].

P’ Eang noted that Laos did not attend consultancy talks with Greater Mekong Sub-region member countries of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to discuss the project. Apparently, Laos did not seek its people’s opinions for the construction.

Ame Trandem, of the organisation International Rivers, said Laos’ report only mentions the dam’s impacts on a 10km section of the river, and does not take into account impacts on neighboring countries.

According to scientists from Vietnam Rivers Network, 12 hydropower dams planned to be built on Mekong River’s lower river will pose risks to 20 million people who currently live in the Mekong Delta region, as well as generations to come. It will also pose a danger to food security.

The dams will turn the lower mainstream into lake-like areas, preventing the transportation of silt to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, as well as Cambodia’s Tonle Sap region. This could, in turn, cause landslides in those areas.

The WWF said the proposed Xayaburi dam would cut off 9 aquatic ecosystems upstream; out of a total of 13. The organisation along with others, including International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and World Commission on Dams (WCD), is calling for a 10-year delay on the approval of all mainstream dams to fully analyse and weigh the costs and benefits of their construction and operation.

Up to 263 non-governmental organisations from 51 countries have signed a document for submission to Lao and Thai prime ministers in opposition to the dam.

Today [April 19], the MRC will hold a meeting in Vientiane to decide whether or not to allow Laos to build the dam. – Dantri

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