Pianporn Deetes for International Rivers
The scenic rapids, strong currents, and complex ecosystems of the mighty Mekong River in the remote province of Xayaburi in Northern Laos are the spawning grounds of rich migratory fisheries that feed millions of people along the entire length of the river. Beneath the sparkling sand beaches, exposed during the dry season, thousands of gold-panning families find a vital source of income, supplementing their fishing and farming that helps meet their daily needs.
However, this way of life is now threatened. Since 2007, Ch. Karnchang, one of Thailand’s largest construction companies, has been preparing plans to build a massive 1,280 MW dam on the Mekong River’s mainstream at the Kaeng Luang rapids, 30 kilometers from Xayabouri town. This dam would affect thousands of local people directly, and millions more indirectly due to its impact on the Mekong River and its interconnected ecosystems.
The Xayaburi dam, if built, will block critical fish migration routes to the Mekong’s upper stretches as far upstream as Chiang Saen in northern Thailand that is an important spawning ground for the critically endangered Mekong Giant Catfish. The dam would destroy the river’s complex local ecosystems that serve as important fish habitats for local and migratory species. The dam would also disrupt hydrological, sediment and nutrient cycles in the Mekong River, which has already been partially affected by the Upper Mekong dams in China.
In June 2010, Thailand’s electricity utility, EGAT, signed an initial agreement with Ch. Karnchang to purchase almost 90% of the Xayabouri dam’s electricity. At least four Thai banks, Kasikorn Bank, Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai Bank, and Siam Commercial Bank, have expressed their interest in providing loans to the Xayaburi dam, despite its massive environmental and social costs.
Together with our partners the Thai People’s Network for the Mekong and the Save the Mekong Coalition, International Rivers is calling on the Thai government to withdraw its support for the project and seek better energy solutions to protect the Mekong River, which is a bloodline for millions in the region.
CONTACT US:
Pianporn Deetes
[email protected]
+66 814 220 111
Source
Visit International Rivers
Related posts: