The government of\u00a0Laos\u00a0has officially informed the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its plan to build a new dam in Luang Prabang, despite warnings about the project’s environmental effects.<\/p>\n
“We confirm that the MRC Secretariat has received the notification from the Lao government on the Luang Prabang Hydropower Project in which the government has submitted to undergo the six-month Prior Consultation process,” the commission said in an email to Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
The notification was sent to MRC, an\u00a0agency that works with regional governments to manage the development and resources of the Mekong River, on July 31.<\/p>\n
The MRC said it has reviewed Laos’s submission, and notified the other member countries: Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
The prior consultation process lasts a minimum of six months, but can be extended. During this period, MRC country members can review the project, assess transboundary issues and suggest changes.<\/p>\n
However, the MRC is not a governing body, and ultimately, the final decision to build the dam rests with Laos alone.<\/p>\n
The member countries will meet in early October and more information will be made public at the end of the month.<\/p>\n
“Jeopardise the future”<\/strong><\/p>\n The Luang Prabang dam is seen as\u00a0part of Laos’s plan to become the “battery of Southeast Asia” aimed at lifting the country out of poverty.\u00a0<\/p>\n As originally proposed, it would be a 1,410 megawatts project with a 90sq km (35sq miles) reservoir, located 30km (18.6 miles) from Luang Prabang town.<\/p>\n A Vietnamese company, VP Power, is slated to hold the largest share.<\/p>\n According to International Rivers (IR), an environmental and human rights NGO, Laos has plans for nine dams along the Mekong mainstream, while\u00a0Cambodia\u00a0has proposed two more.<\/p>\n Two – Xayaburi and Don Sahong – are already under construction.<\/p>\n “If the remaining … proposed dams are built, they seriously jeopardise the future of the Mekong as a life-sustaining ecosystem,” IR says in a statement on its website.<\/p>\n This year, the Mekong River experienced\u00a0historically low water levels, which experts attributed to a combination of global climate change and the effect of dams.<\/p>\n The dams may have disastrous environmental consequences – especially in Cambodia which is home to Tonle Sap lake,\u00a0a major freshwater fishery\u00a0fed by the Mekong that provides the country with 70 percent of its total protein intake.<\/p>\n An official from Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration declined to comment, while officials from the Ministry of Environment and the Cambodia National Mekong Committee could not be reached.<\/p>\n Environmental concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia programme director for IR, said she was “disappointed” by Laos’s decision, and criticised the country for resisting development plans that take a more regional approach.<\/p>\n “The scientific evidence on the cumulative impacts of these projects is clear. Major impacts include destruction of fisheries, loss of sediment and alterations in flow patterns – jeopardising the food security and livelihoods of river basin communities,” she said via an email.<\/p>\n Harris also questioned the effectiveness of the prior consultation process in actually addressing issues.<\/p>\n “The ongoing failure to respond to public concerns prompted a regional civil society boycott of the last Prior Consultation for the Pak Lay dam,” she said.<\/p>\n A development expert who attended a meeting to discuss transboundary issues of the Pak Lay dam in January said the meeting was held in a five-star resort in Laos with “no expenses spared”.<\/p>\n He highlighted the futility of the event, claiming that Laos did not take seriously suggestions from other stakeholders.<\/p>\n “Countries were given a platform to voice their concerns on the proposed dam, but it’s a largely ineffective set-up,” he said, adding that the Lao delegation seemed to defer to the dam’s developers.<\/p>\n According to Radio Free Asia, about 4,600 people are expected to be displaced by the dam.<\/p>\n The MRC said that “relocation and compensation issues are the responsibility” of Laos.<\/p>\n “Resettlement programmes in Laos have frequently involved inadequate compensation for lost resources and income, poor-quality land and loss of livelihood,” Harris said.<\/p>\n