International environmental group WWF has called on the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to convene an emergency meeting in order to discuss the possible environmental impact of the Don Sahong dam in Laos, on which work is expected to begin as early as next month.
Jim Leape, WWF’s international director-general, said in a statement that the MRC—an intergovernmental body made up of officials from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam—would be rendered useless if the Don Sahong dam were to move ahead without any prior discussion.
“The MRC was effectively broken in November last year when Laos decided unilaterally to proceed with the controversial Xayaburi dam, against the express wishes of Vietnam and Cambodia,” Mr. Leape said, referring to the 1,285 MW Xayaburi, which broke ground in November despite strenuous objections from Cambodia and Vietnam.
“The four Lower Mekong countries must immediately revisit the spirit of the original MRC agreement and meet urgently to resolve their differences and fix the consultation process before any other dam projects are considered,” he added.
Mr. Leape also called on Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand to publicly voice their concerns about Laos’ “continued failures to honor the consultation agreement.”
“Without effective transboundary cooperation, the livelihoods and food security of 60 million people are in jeopardy,” he said.
Last week, Laos notified the MRC—which is responsible for the management of the Lower Mekong basin—that work on the Don Sahong dam was imminent and plans were in store for it to be completed by February 2018.
Critics have cited Laos’ construction of the Xayaburi dam as a violation of the 1995 Mekong Agreement, which states that all mainstream development can only proceed if it has the consensus of the four countries.
However, there is disagreement between the countries on how the agreement should be interpreted.
During the last MRC meeting in January, Lao Vice Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong said the MRC’s consultation process only lasts six months and does not require consensus.
Sin Niny, the permanent vice chairman of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee, disagreed in the meeting and voiced his opinion that all countries must reach an agreement before undertaking any project on the mainstream Mekong.
Expected to generate about 240 MW of electricity, the Don Sahong dam is located in an area known as the Khone Falls, where islands and water channels are braided together on the Mekong mainstream. Less than 1 km from the Cambodian border, the dam could lead to the extinction of the Irrawaddy Dolphin and the Giant Mekong Catfish, as well as block the migratory passages of the river’s robust fisheries, environmentalists say.
Watt Botkosal, deputy secretary-general of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee, said Sunday he is aware that Laos has informed the MRC of the country’s plans to go ahead with the dam, but is unclear on how Cambodia would react to the news.
Because of the dam’s proximity to Cambodia, it should have been brought to the neighboring countries’ attention sooner, Mr. Botkosal said.
“In my point of view, it’s very close to the Cambodian border. The Don Sahong is a mainstream dam so the negative impacts need to be discussed among the other countries,” he said, adding that the government will discuss a response.
The company awarded the contract to build the dam is Malaysia’s Mega First Corporation Berhad, which has never built a dam before. Despite the concerns among downstream countries and environmentalists, the Lao government has said the dam will not threaten fisheries as fish will be able to migrate through other channels around the 4,000-island Khone Falls region in southern Laos.
Jim Pollard,
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Sunday Nation October 6, 2013 1:00 am
The World Wildlife Fund, one of the biggest conservation groups, has called for an emergency meeting with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) in the wake of Laos' decision to proceed with a second dam on the river.
There are fears that this move will seriously undermine the River Commission's efforts to protect the river and its rich fish life. It could also strain regional ties, given that the Don Sahong dam is likely to have severe environmental repercussions in Cambodia and Vietnam, where millions of people rely on fishing and growing rice in the lower reaches of the Mekong.
In a statement yesterday, WWF said Vientiane's plan to go ahead with the dam in the Siphandone area and bypass the commission's process for regional consultation had cast a cloud over the MRC and its management of the river.
"The MRC was effectively broken in November last year when Laos decided unilaterally to proceed with the controversial Xayaburi dam, against the express wishes of Vietnam and Cambodia," WWF International director-general Jim Leape said.
"It is impossible to imagine that the mekong River can be harnessed sustainably without the MRC functioning properly, ensuring joint decisions are reached on dam developments that are to the benefit of all.
"The four Lower mekong countries must immediately revisit the original MRC agreement and meet urgently to resolve their differences and fix the consultation process before any other dam projects are considered.
"If the countries fail to get serious about their obligation to cooperate, they risk sabotaging both the MRC and management of one of the world's great rivers."
On September 30, Vientiane notified the MRC - an inter-governmental body made up of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam - of its decision to proceed with the Don Sahong hydropower project in the Siphandone ("One Thousand Islands") area in southern Laos near the Cambodian border.
WWF said the Don Sahong dam would block the only channel available for dry-season fish migration on the mekong "putting the world's largest inland fishery at risk".
Last Monday, Lao authorities provided a technical feasibility study, plus environmental and social-impact assessments, and a fisheries study, to be shared with other MRC member states.
Lao Energy Vice Minister Viraphonh Viravong told The Nation earlier that the Don Sahong Dam was too small to have any serious environmental impact on the Mekong. It would generate 260 megawatts of electricity for local consumption in the southern region of the country. "In the Lao language, we call it 'hou' Sahong, meaning we put generators at a hole in the river to get electricity. We don't block the river to create a big reservoir," he said.
Vientiane wants to start the project next month, so it can be done by February 2018.
However, the news has angered Thai conservationists, who are still upset about the Lao government's go-ahead on the Xayaburi dam, south of Luang Prabang.
Under the MRC agreement, all dams on the mainstream of the mekong should go through a consultation process with other states with an aim to reach a consensus on whether they should proceed.
"The mekong is a shared river, and the four countries are bound by the MRC agreement to hold inter-governmental consultations before proceeding with dam developments that impact their neighbours," WWF's Leape said.
