Ensure conservationists that Laotian plans for six dams along the Mekong River biodiversity damage and interfere with downstream communities.Marco Casiraghi / Cuboimages / picture libraryControversy builds over a proposed new large dam on the River Mekong River in Laos, as the deadline for the decision making on the project approaches.
The Xayaburi dam is one of eight that Laos is hoping to build on the River.
"Xayaburi would be the first dam in the the Mekong River main channel outside of China," says AME Trandem, Bangkok-based activist from the environmental group international rivers.
"What happens to Xayaburi are in essence that determine future of Mekong - and a number of other dams planned."
On Tuesday, about 400 people in North-Eastern Thailand gathered protest against the project, which they believe, would have a negative effect on their lives, according to the nation, an English language website for news in the country.
Of the electricity generated by the dam would be sold approximately 95% to Thailand and local conservation plan, petitions ABHISIT Vejjajiva, the Thai Prime Minister, urging him to block plans to purchase electricity from the project.
The Xayaburi have been plans for 2007, if CH Karnchang, a construction company based in Bangkok, proposed building a 1,260 megawatt dam at Kaeng Luang rapids of the main channel of the Mekong River, 30 km from the Xayaburi in Northern Laos - an important spawning site for several migratory species, including the critically endangered Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas). A planned set of six dams in Northern Laos, including Xayaburi, would ultimately 69% of the fish habitat block.
Projected 810 meters wide and 32 meters high, and cost over US$ 3 billion, the Xayaburi dam would have a pool of 49 square kilometers.
More than 2,000 people would have to be relocated to accommodate the dam and reservoir. Many environmentalists fear that the project could fish block migration, trapping River ravage sediments, biodiversity and agriculture receives seasonal floods, the floodplain to reduce.
In September last year, the Lao Government submitted the proposal for the Xayaburi dam, the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an intergovernmental body for the sustainable management of the River. The Commission is required to reach a decision of 22 April.
But the MRC is not well-disposed dams. A few weeks after the Lao proposal, the Commission was published its first comprehensive analysis of the potential impact of the 12 proposed hydroelectric projects on the Mekong mainstream - a review, was the 16 months in the making. The strategic environmental assessment concludes that "decisions on mainstream dams for a period of ten years should be postponed" because the risks of potential environmental and economic impact on the capacity of Governments to 'adresse1'.
And end of March, the MRC of their expert published review of the documents of the Lao authorities, including the Government environmental impact assessment (EIA) 2. The conclusions were scathing.
You can review significant uncertainties and gaps in the proposal. It says that the scale of the Government underestimated environmental and social impact of the dam, EIA, seriously falling a minimum radius of 10 km while overestimate the effectiveness of risk mitigation such as fish pass facilities.
But the Commission is seen by some as toothless. For example, says Trandem falls dam in Viet Nam the Yali, on the River Sesan, a tributary of the Mekong River, has endangered the livelihood of the downstream communities in Cambodia over the Decade as its reservoir was filled, demonstrates the MRC "Inability to resolve the conflict effectively".
And two countries that also are Mekong, China and Myanmar, parts not full members of the Commission. Without them, says the MRC remains "an amputated River basin organization", Edward Grumbine, expert on environmental policy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences of Kunming Institute of Botany in the Chinese province of Yunnan, in an article published this week in Science3.
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"Individual countries have a responsibility to some decision-making to give up and find out how you share the resources in a collaborative and cross-border way and the best thing do for each country and for the River," he said nature.
Many say that enthusiasm for hydropower development of China's behavior above the Mekong River and its investments in many of the proposed dams powered the region. The country has confirmed four hydroelectric power plants in operation on the River, and on 25 March, a fifth being building. More are planned.
"China has set the pace for hydropower development in the region," says Grumbine. "Other countries now have a role model."
As the 22 April approaches deadlines, "the authority of Canada is also on the sample is provided", says Grumbine. Some fear that Laos is so determined, build the dam, it to advance the project may return even if the Commission has its proposal the.
?This would be a completely ruthless and irresponsible behavior,? says Trandem.
International Centre for environmental management strategic environmental assessment of hydropower on the Mekong mainstream (Canada, 2010). HereMekong River Secretariat first consulting project review report (Canada, 2011). HereGrumbine, R. E. & Xu, j. Science 332, 178-179 (2011).If you something offensive or inappropriate or that otherwise are not met our conditions or Community guidelines, select you the appropriate "this comment report" Link.Kommentare on this thread are marked according to the time of booking.This is a public forum. Please keep to our community guidelines. You can be controversial, but please you understand personal or offensive and keep it short. Keep in mind that our threads are for feedback and discussion - not for testing publishing, press releases and advertising.
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