Laos intent to dam the Mekong River will adversely impact fish migration.

Friday, August 14, 2009
FIS (Fish Information & Services)
LAOS

The landlocked south-east Asian country of Laos wants to become “the battery of Asia” by damming the Mekong River to produce hydroelectricity. The country’s mountains and rivers are ideal for dams, to produce energy that could be sold to its power-hungry neighbours, such as Thailand.

Hydroelectricity could prove to be a valuable resource for a country where 10.6 per cent of the population lives below the international poverty line of USD 1.25 per day.

However, many of the people of Laos depend on the Mekong river for their livelihoods. The river is home to over 1,300 different species of fish and is one of the world's largest inland fisheries, reports Aljazeera.

Critics claim that these dams will block fish migration, cause environmental damage and affect millions of people who depend on the rivers.

But the Laos government, which Transparency International rates as being 151st out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index, is determined to press ahead. The fear for many is that, despite generating a large amount of income for the country, the people who currently depend on the river would not see the benefits.

The single-party state is building eight hydro-electric projects on the Mekong River and another 50 on its tributaries.

To Van Truong, director of the Southern Region Irrigation Planning Institute, explained that the operation of hydroelectric plants in the upstream area of the Mekong will impact the water level, power capacity, agriculture, aquaculture, water transportation and environment of all the Mekong River downstream countries, VietNamNet Bridge reports.

“Hydro-power dams in China and reservoirs in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia will slow down the the natural flow of the Mekong River, change its course and sources of nutrition, which in turn will affect the growth of fish and the livelihood of the people along the river,” Truong said.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC), an intergovernmental body that deals with all river-related activities, has now kicked off a study to look at proposed hydropower developments on the Mekong River and their impact on the people living along it. The results are expected by July or August next year, AFP reports.

There are a total of 11 plans for dams being studied by Cambodia, Laos and Thailand but in China, there are already eight existing or planned mainstream dams, the MRC said.

More than 60 million people in the lower Mekong basin depend on the river system for food, transport and economic activity, the MRC said, adding that it is home to the world's most valuable inland fishery.

By Michel Loubet
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