Laos should stop dam project: Vietnam conference
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Laos should halt its plan to build the Xayaburi dam on the Mekong River since this could seriously affect Vietnam’s ecology, said attendants during a conference on the topic today.
The conference held in northern Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay attended by members of the Vietnam National Mekong River Committee, experts and relevant authorities is aimed at assessing the potential damage of the dam and on appropriate suggestions for Laos.
Mr. Truong Hong Tien, an expert of the standing office of the Committee, said that among the country members of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), Laos will gain the most benefit from the dam project.
Meanwhile, the amount of fisheries of Vietnam will decline by 200,000-400,000 tons per year due to negative effects from the dam, he said.
The dam project is one of the 12 hydropower dam projects on the Mekong River that MRC has been consulting with countries in the area, including Thai Lan, Cambodia and Vietnam.
At a seminar on the Xayaguri dam held early this year in the Mekong Delta province of Can Tho, all provinces in the delta objected to the project.
Ky Quang Vinh, director of the Can Tho Province Natural Resources and Environment Observation Center, earlier said that the dam, if built, would destroy the life environment and, the ecosystem of the Mekong River, endangering many faunas and floras in areas affected by the dam.
With such length, the dam would certainly affect aquaculture and when it reserves water, it will have impacts on the use of river water by countries located in the river’s downstream area, Dr. To Van Truong, an expert in irrigation, has also warned.
He also said the dam would also cause impediments to waterway traffic and salt-water encroachment to the river’s downstream area – the Mekong Delta.
Presiding over the meeting, Nguyen Thai Lai, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said the exploitation of water resources will affect all communities living along with the river, including the Vietnamese community.
“Investors said the dam is not harmful to the environment since it first uses river water and later release that water to the river. However, the dam’s operation will actually divert the flow of the river and will have certain impacts on the ecosystem,” he said.
Deputy Minister Lai
Postpone dam until 2021
At meeting of MRC on February 14, Cambodian representatives supported the suggestion by international experts to postpone the building of the dam until 10 years later, Mr. Lai said.
Meanwhile, Thailand said Laos had not yet provided concerned countries with enough information, especially those on cross-border impacts from the dam project.
If built as planned, the dam will be put into operation in 2019.
The deadline for all countries involved to announce their respective official opinions regarding the dam project is April 22, 2011.
Mr. Lai said he would propose the Vietnamese government ask Laos to further provide relevant information about the dam.
According to design, the Xayabury dam will be 820 meter long and 32.6 meter high. The submerged area is 49 square kilometers and the dam’s flood discharge capacity is 47,500 cubic meters per second. The dam project’s investor is Thailand’s SEAN & Ch. Karnchang Public Co., Ltd. It is expected that part of the power from the project will be used to meet Laos’ demand while the remaining power will be bought by Thailand. |
The area where the dam is expected to be built
The proposed dam on the map
