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Environmentalists worried over impact of Mekong damning
by Usa Pichai
Monday, 27 April 2009
http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/2021-environmentalists-worried-over-impact-of-mekong-damning.html
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Environmentalists have warned that the damning
of Mekong Rivers will have a significant trans boundary impact on
countries which share this river, including Burma but accessing
information on the issue in Burma is limited.
Montree Chantawong, a Thai environmentalist from the Bangkok-based
environment organization, Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional
Alliance (Terra) said in a conference on Friday that the damning of
projects on the Mekong River in China has destroyed the natural
resources of the river and caused decrease in fish and water plant
that affect local livelihood, fluctuating water current and would also
create conflicts between states and people along the river bank in
six countries, according to a case study of Ban Koum Hydropower dam on
Mekong mainstream, Lao and Thailand border.
Chantawong also said that the impact of the upstream in China and
Burma might have similar impacts but the accessing information is more
difficult.
The damning will only benefit politicians, investors and financial
institutions. The claims about electricity generation are fake, he
said.
The six countries that share Mekong River are China, Burma, Thailand,
Lao, Cambodia and Vietnam.
However, early this month the Lahu National Development Organization
(LNDO) released a report Undercurrents Monitoring Development Along
Burmas Mekong, which confirmed that the impact of the Chinese
damning project has not been documented clearly. China continues to
construct a series of giant dams on the mainstream Mekong while
downstream communities anxiously question what will befall them.
Unprecedented floods in August 2008 damaged thousands of acres of
paddy farms.
The Mekong river bank in Burmese territory is habitat to over 22,000
primarily indigenous people living in the mountainous region of this
isolated stretch of the river. The main ethnic groups are Akha, Shan,
Lahu, Sam Tao (Loi La), Chinese, and En. The Mekong River has a
special significance for the Lahu people, who, like the Chinese, call
it the Lancang.
Chantawongs presentation is a part of Asia and Pacific Regional
Health Impact Assessment Conference in Chiang Mai held from 22 24
April, 2009 which aimed at promoting Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
mechanism as a core part of public development projects of all
governments agencies.
The representatives from Asia Pacific regions have presented case
studies from their countries about the impact on peoples health and
livelihood from development projects, particularly the governments
mega projects or policies.
All policies should take the health of people into consideration and
be accountable to impacts that might occur on peoples health. Any
policy and programme formulated must take health issues into account
by conducting HIA, according to a press statement from the conference
where representatives from 20 countries attended.
The participant also announced the Chiang Mai Declaration which
focus that every stakeholder of development projects need to realize
the importance of peoples health. In addition, they urged ASEAN to
treat the issue of HIA as regional mechanism. Given its function as an
official coordinating body in an international community, ASEAN is
the appropriate forum to take the lead because the organizational
structure of ASEAN has already set up the Secretariat body and the
National Secretariat bodies, the group noted.
In addition the statement also calls on international financial
institutions, i.e., the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank to
agree to have HIA as criteria for financing projects. Therefore
projects financed by Equator Principles adopted international
financial institutions are ensured to carry out their implementation
properly. It promises to promote the efficient HIA with principles of
public participation and peoples empowerment. |
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