Dam Controversy: Remaking the Mekong

Located in Southeast Asia, the Mekong is the 7^th longest river in Asia and the Mekong basin is one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world which includes 20,000 plant species, 430 mammals, 1,200 birds, 800 reptiles and amphibians, and over 850 fish species.  


This 646 pound Mekong giant catfish is a world record for
largest freshwater fish ever found.


The Mekong is home to some very large fish such as the giant river carp, which can grow up to 5 feet long and weigh 150 pounds; the Mekong Freshwater Stingray, which have a wingspan up to 15 feet; and the giant pangasius, Siamese giant carp, and the endemic Mekong giant catfish, all three of which can grow up to about 10 feet long and weigh 660 pounds.  All of these species and many others are in danger of extinction due to overfishing, as well as the decrease in water quality due to development and upstream damming. 

 

China has engaged in extensive dam-building on the river with three completed and another twelve in consideration.  All nations downstream and the environment will suffer.  Since the building of the first dam, many species have become endangered, water levels have dropped, and the fish caught are smaller and fewer than before the dam.  The Mekong which winds through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, is one of the last big untamed rivers in the world and nearly 60 million people depend on its rich fisheries for survival. 

The tiny village of Pak Lan in northern Laos may soon be disappearing and its people relocated.  A proposed dam will need to move it and 18 other nearby villages because they will be partially or fully submerged if the Xayaburi dam is built.  The dam will generate 1260 megawatts of power, which will earn the developer between $3 and $4 billion a year.  If the Xayaburi dam is built, it will set a precedent for 10 other hydropower dams proposed for the main stem of the river turning nearly 55% of the river into slow-flowing reservoirs. 

Fish are a staple of the diet in Laos and Cambodia, with around 80 per cent of the Cambodian population's annual protein intake coming from fish caught in the Mekong River system, with no alternative source to replace them.  There are 229 fish species whose spawning and migratory patterns would be affected by this mainstream dam.  Dams would also restrict the flow of water over agricultural areas linked to the river.  Some scientists say the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted for the builder is seriously flawed because it does not consider the wider effects of the dam. 

Road Construction to Reach Dam Site.

Over the opposition of environmental groups, such as International Rivers and the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments, the construction of the giant dam deep inside Laos, is continuing. The Thai government, who will benefit greatly by importing around 95% of the produced electricity, is defying an agreemtn by the Mekong River Commission Council to halt construction until a more complete study of the dam can be completed.

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