Xayaburi Dam: waves of unpredictable destruction 17 March 2011 |
News story Two countries in the Lower Mekong River plan to
construct 12 hydropower dams. On September 22, 2010, Laos
officially announced its Xayaburi hydropower project, the first
of these dams. The Saigon Times discusses this issue with Mr.
Nguyen Huu Thien, one of the experts who have embarked on
research into the environmental impacts of the 12 dams. What are
the impacts of Xayaburi hydropower dam? Our strategic
environmental assessment of the 12 hydropower dams on the Mekong
River emphasizes that any of them can inflict permanent and
irrevocable damage on the Lower Mekong River. Moreover, Laos is
planning to build 10 hydropower dams and Cambodia two dams on
the river main stream. If the Xayaburi project gets the nod, it
will set a bad precedent. Who benefits from these dams? Our
calculations show that Laos will enjoy 70% of the benefits while
Cambodia and Thailand reap 11-12% each. Vietnam’s share of the
economic gain is 5%. If these dams a