WWF calls for emergency MRC meeting over Laos’ decision to build 2nd dam
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. … 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”. … 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. …
The Nation News Staff
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/WWF-calls-for-emergency-MRC-meeting-over-Laos-deci-30216410.html
