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Assault on the Mekong: ‘the worries are real’ says Thai activist

VietNamNet Bridge. 24 June 2009.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2009/06/854637/

VietNamNet Bridge – The co-director of a Thai NGO, TERRA (Towards
Ecological Recovery & Regional Alliance), Premrudee Daoroung, talked
with Tuoi Tre Daily about dams on the Mekong River. TERRA is a lead
organizer in the campaign to collect signatures for the “Save the
Mekong” petition.

What’s the impact on Thailand of damming the main channel of the
Mekong River?

After three Chinese dams (Manwan, Daichaoshan and Jinghong) were
built, we saw many problems caused by changes in the flow of the
Mekong River in northern Thailand, specifically in our most northern
province.

The water level didn’t rise or fall as far as in the past, affecting
the life of local people and natural resources. For example, river-
bank erosion increased, making the river water muddy, impacting fish
volume and fish species. The river section from northern Thailand to
Luang Prabang in Laos previous had natural fresh water, from
tributaries with natural stream flows, but those days are over.

It is clear that dams will prevent the migration of fish. The Mekong
River Commission (MRC) and other organization have research that shows
there is no technology that can mitigate the impacts from dams on the
migration of fish on the Mekong River.

We think, moreover, that the fish stocks are impacted not only by the
construction of dams but also from the use of explosives to break up
rocks in the river. For example, the use of explosives harms the
reproductive process of the giant catfish species because it lays eggs
on rocks.

The governments of China, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar want to make a
channel for 500 ton ships to navigate the river from upstream in China
to Luang Prabang. After this idea was raised, it was implemented very
quickly.

However, this wasn’t done in Thailand because the people didn’t allow
it happen. At present, China’s big vessels cannot pass the section of
Mekong River that runs through Thailand.

Last year northern Thailand suffered a big flood and the people said
that it was caused by China’s opening of its dams. Certainly, there is
no clear answer from China for this matter.

All of these things make the people worry about dams.

So, the “Save the Mekong” campaign is to protest the construction of
hydro-power dams?

That’s true. We call for governments to give up construction of hydro-
power plants on the main stream of the Mekong River. This is the
first time the people in the affected countries have collectively
raised their voice. The number of people who signed in the “Save the
Mekong” petition so far (16,000) may not be so great but it is
important that they have spoken out.

We want to say that the worries are real. If the people have
sufficient information, they will support this campaign and join in
signing the petition. But this is only a part of the campaign. We are
sending the petition to the regional governments because we believe
that this is not the problem of a single country or a single dam.

We have performed our responsibility. I hope that the subsequent
responsibility will be assumed by governments and regional forums like
the MRC to save the Mekong River and the sources of subsistence of
millions of people in the region.

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia meet on water resources in ‘three S’ river
region

The basin of the Xekong, Sesan and Srepok rivers or ‘S3’ has a total
area of nearly 80,000 square kilometers, including parts of Laos,
Cambodia and Vietnam. The reduction of water sources, loss of
ecological balance and the inequality in sharing economic interests in
the S3 basin among the three countries were discussed at a seminar
sponsored by the Vietnam Mekong River Commission in Dak Lak province
on June 18.

The Vietnam Mekong River Commission’s deputy secretary general, Tran
Duc Cuong, said that the planning and development of water resources
in the basin of S3 is unsystematic at all levels. Trans-national
cooperation is limited. Each related country’s sectors are developing
water resources in the basin strictly according to their own
interests.

Experts of the S3 basin development project said that a multinational,
multi-sectoral approach is needed to manage and develop water
resources in the basin of S3.

Peter-John Meynell, a hydro-power expert who is an expert consultant
of the S3 project, emphasized that the three countries ought to try
applying environmental criteria in developing sustainable hydro power
projects in the S3 basin and use effective supporting tools for the
process of using water resources in S3.

 
 

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