Tag Archives: livelihoods

Impact study for 12 Mekong dams

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By Hoang Nam for Viet Nam News

HCM CITY — International experts and multi-stakeholders met in HCM City yesterday for the final workshop on the environmental and social impacts of 12 proposed hydropower dams on the mainstream lower Mekong.

About 100 participants from six Mekong countries attended the “Avoidance, mitigation and enhancement” workshop that is part of the “Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) of Proposed Mainstream Hydropower Dams in the Lower Mekong” study. It is the fourth and final workshop of the series.

“Mekong River is famous for its huge potential of hydropower development, 59,900MW basin-wide and 30,900MW in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB),” Dr Le Duc Trung director general of the Viet Nam National Mekong Committee told workshop in his opening speech.

“However, negative impacts from hydropower construction on the river-dependent ecosystem and livelihoods of millions of people should be estimated,” Trung said.

Private sector developers will build the 12 mainstream Mekong hydropower dams that are planned for Thailand, Cambodia and Lao under respective government MOUs.

The 1995 Mekong Agreement, signed by Cambodia, Lao, Thailand and Viet Nam, requires that such projects are discussed extensively among all four countries prior to any decision being taken.

The year-long study has researched impacts on regional energy planning; people; fisheries and barrier effects of dams on fish migration; maintenance of ecological integrity and biodiversity; river morphology and sediment balance; and water quality and salinity intrusion.

The two-day workshop aims to avoid or mitigate risks and enhance the benefits of the dams.

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Big is beautiful in Laos

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By Brian McCartan for Asia Times

BANGKOK – Laos aims to lift itself out of least-developed country status by 2020, but a shift underway from reliance on Western aid to Asian private capital has sparked criticism from development specialists who believe the trend towards large-scale projects is unsustainable and works against the country’s long-term economic goals.

Lao Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh announced new plans to increase foreign investment and reach annual growth rates of over 8% for the next five years at the “Future of Asia” business conference held in Tokyo in May. He said, “From 2011-2015 there are plans by our government to achieve economic growth targets of about 8% or more while at the same time maintaining our stability.”

Towards that end, he announced an overhaul of investment policies and said “we want to develop human resources to cope with this growth and, at the same time, care for and nurture our precious asset – the environment”. Bouasone reiterated the government’s fast growth strategy earlier this month at the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he stated that Laos aimed for “no less than” 8% annual economic growth through 2015.

As part of that plan, the Lao government seeks to promote greater foreign investment in agriculture, electricity generation, alternative energy, hotels and tourism, and logistics and services. It is also promoting expanded investment in infrastructure as part of its plan to transform the country from “land-locked to land-linked” as a trade crossroads in mainland Southeast Asia.

Plans to open a stock exchange this year are also in the works. Officials hope the new bourse will help to finance a mounting mining and hydropower boom driven by foreign investment and a rebound in global commodity prices. The new bourse will be set up though a joint venture with the Korea Exchange and hydropower and mining companies are expected to be the first to list, followed by telecommunications and manufacturing firms.

The World Bank, in its mid-year Lao Economic Monitor, estimated that real gross domestic product (GDP) in Laos will increase from 7% in 2009 to 7.8% this year. The growth is mostly a result of rapid expansion in the natural resources sector, as well as steady growth in agriculture, construction and a rebound in the processing and tourism industries. The multilateral lender has forecast that Lao GDP will average 7.7% per annum between 2011 and 2015.

However, development experts are concerned about the country’s over-reliance on hydropower and other mega-projects to stoke growth

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Singapore sand demand damaging Cambodia environment

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Dredging at dawn on The Tatai River, Koh Kong. Cambodia.

By Neil Chatterjee in Singapore, for Reuters

Singapore’s thirst for sand to increase land reclamation and construction is driving an ecologically damaging sand-dredging industry in Cambodia, according to a report by a non-governmental organisation.

London-based Global Witness said that Cambodia’s sand-dredging industry threatened endangered species, fish stocks and local livelihoods, despite the government’s May 2009 ban on sand-dredging.

“This situation highlights the continued failure of Cambodia’s international donors to use their leverage to hold the small elite surrounding the Prime Minister to account,” said George Boden, campaigner at Global Witness.

“Cambodia’s natural resource wealth should be lifting its population out of poverty.”

Koy Koung, the spokesman and undersecretary of state at Cambodia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, said he was unable to comment as the government had not seen the Global Witness report.

The report said Singapore was the world’s largest importer of sand in 2008 and has used sand imports to increase its landmass by 22 per cent since the 1960s.

It said this development has wreaked havoc on the region’s coastlines, with Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia having all announced bans on sand dredging for export due to environmental concerns.

Global Witness said it had tracked boats being loaded with sand in Cambodia to their destinations in Singapore, a regional base for manufacturers and banks that is expanding its financial centre and leisure attractions onto reclaimed land.

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Nam Theun 2: Risky Business

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[youtube width="598" height="482"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj5rHofPFGo[/youtube]

This video is about Laos’ largest and most controversial hydropower project, Nam Theun 2. Risky Business describes how Nam Theun 2 is affecting Lao villagers’ everyday life, including interviews with the affected communities. The video is produced by BankTrack and International Rivers based on a site visit in May 2009.

MORE INFORMATION:

Visit International Rivers’ Nam Theun 2 campaign page
Visit BankTrack’s Nam Theun 2 Dodgy Deal

CONTACT US:

Ikuko Matsumoto
[email protected]
+1 510-848-1155

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Mekong Drought Affects Shan Communities

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ALEX ELLGEE for The Irrawaddy

A severe drought, which has been called the worst in half a century, is threatening people’s livelihoods in eastern Shan state where 234 kilometers of the Mekong River runs through Burma, according to organizations working in the area.

“The people who live along the river are facing the worst situation in a long time, which has severely affected their way of living,” Japhet Jakui, the director of the Lahu National Development Organisation (LNDO), told The Irrawaddy.

The organization, which closely monitors the Mekong River in Shan State, estimated that more than 22,000 indigenous people made up of Akha, Shan, Lahu, Sam Tao, Chinese and En communities, live by the river. Many have told LNDO that their river-side farming practices have suffered as a result of the drought.

In an attempt to lure more Chinese logging business into the region, the Burmese regime has forbidden local residents from cutting trees. Unable to clear land for rice paddy fields, more people have become dependent on the river-side areas for their survival, said Japhet Jakui.

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PM seeks Mekong answers from China

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The Bangkok Post

A meeting of experts will help, Beijing told

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is putting pressure on China to discuss the impact of its dams on the water level in the Mekong River.

Drought in Thailand has resulted in critically low water reserves and has seriously affected cultivation, especially in the Central Plains.

Mr Abhisit passed on his message to Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue during a visit by Mr Hu yesterday.

The prime minister said drought was a serious problem and asked whether dams in China had caused problems along the Mekong River.

He said it would be beneficial if China held a meeting of experts to discuss the issue and exchange information.

Mr Hu said the federal and local governments in China considered drought solutions “an important mission”. Dam projects in China were developed on the principle that they would not affect countries downstream.

He also insisted water in the river passing through China accounted for only 13% of the total amount of water along the river.

Mr Hu said the Mekong River Commission (MRC), which is made up of representatives from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, maintained contact with China. He said China did not wish to lose its interests in the subregion.

The Mekong River has a great influence on nature and the livelihoods of people living on the Indochina peninsula.

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Mekong waters hit record low

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Al Jazeera’s Aela Callan reports on problems downstream attributed to dams in China.

Thailand’s prime minister has said he will seek urgent talks with China after the water level in the Mekong River plunged to its lowest level in 20 years.

The river, which has its source in China, underpins the livelihoods of more than 60 million people in Southeast Asia.

Speaking on Sunday, Abhisit Vejjajjiva said it had become obvious that the low water levels were threatening communities along the river and he had asked foreign ministry officials to meet with Chinese representatives as soon as possible.

“We’ll ask China to help manage the water flow along the river better so countries in Southeast Asia would not be affected,” the Thai prime minister said in his weekly television address.

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Undercurrent of tension set to burst banks

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The Bangkok Post

Mekong River activists take fight to embassy

Residents of Chiang Rai plan to rally outside the Chinese embassy in Bangkok next month to protest against Beijing’s dam management, which they say has caused severe water shortages this year and heavy floods two years ago along the Mekong River.

Niwat Roykaew, the leader of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group, said tens of thousands of people depend on the Mekong River for their livelihoods.

China has built four dams upstream. Protesters say the operations have had a severe impact on the ecosystem and the traditional way of life of the people downstream.

“We can’t stand by idly on the issue,” Mr Niwat said.

“No one is telling China about the painful experience we are facing. As the prime victims, we will make our voice heard and take action to deal with the problem.”

He said the planned protest outside the Chinese embassy next month was timed to coincide with a meeting of the Mekong River Commission in Cha-am, Phetchaburi.

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VIETNAM: Record drought threatens livelihoods

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IRIN

HANOI, 5 March 2010 (IRIN) – As temperatures rise in Vietnam, a nationwide drought has dried up riverbeds, sparked forest fires and now threatens one of the world’s richest agricultural regions, upon which millions depend for their livelihoods.

“The Mekong Delta is facing a serious drought,” Nguyen Minh Giam, deputy director of the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre for the southern region, told IRIN.

Water levels on the Mekong River are at an almost 20-year low, largely as a result of the rainy season ending early and a precipitous drop in water flow upstream, he said.

With virtually no rainfall in the north since September, fires have burned through the northern provinces of Lao Cai and Lai Chau. In central Vietnam, sustained temperatures of about 38 degrees Celsius have sent hundreds to local hospitals.

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China’s PR Problem Rears Head at Mekong Forum

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Analysis by Johanna Son for IPS

CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Dec 12 (IPS/TerraViva) – Powerful neighbour. A rising power. Old friend. Big, secretive investor. Big boy of the region. These were some of the terms participants at the just-finished Mekong Media Forum here used, when asked to share the images of China they get from the media.

At a talk-show discussion here, several participants said they had mixed feelings about the country that is the big power in the Mekong region, among the biggest investors in their countries and has built three dams on the upper reaches of the Mekong River.

“There are two Chinas,” said Cambodian journalist Nguon Serath, editor of ‘Rasmei Kampuchea Daily’ newspaper. One is the country that has put in the biggest investments in Cambodia and “that is a good picture,” he explained.

The second is the builder of dams in the Mekong river – the Manwan, Dachaoshan and Jinghong dams and some more to come – that has sowed discontent among communities in downstream countries of Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and triggered letters of protest from grassroots groups.

These comments, which came up again and again through the different sessions at the four-day forum, reflect the depth of resentment by neighbouring countries that see China as having run roughshod over their concerns about the impact of its dams on water levels of the Mekong River, salination, worsening floods and their livelihoods. Some 60 million people in lower Mekong basin rely on the river for food, transport and water.

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