Environmentalists skeptical ahead of Laos meeting on hydropower dam
The four-nation Mekong River Commission (MRC) this week holds public consultations on the development of a large hydropower dam in southern Laos. The project is one of a series of planned dams in the Mekong River Basin that environmentalists say could harm an ecosystem critical for feeding millions of people in Southeast Asia. … The Don Sahong dam is the second planned hydropower project set on the Lower Mekong River’s mainstream with construction already underway on the $3.5 billion Xayaburi Dam in northern Laos, itself a focus of critical debate. The hydropower projects, financed and built by Thai companies, with Thailand the main buyer of the electricity, have triggered opposition from local communities, scientists and environmental groups who are fearful of the impact. …
Ron Corben
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia/environmentalists-skeptical-ahead-laos-meeting-hydropower-dam
