Mekong Mainstream Dams

In May 2011, the Lao PDR government hired Swiss engineering company Pöyry Energy AG to review the proposed Xayaburi Dam's compliance with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) requirements for Mainstream Dams. In August 2011, Pöyry submitted its final report to the Lao government, finding the project to be "principally in compliance" with the MRC's requirements. The Lao government has since sent this report to neighboring countries as false justification that it has responded to their concerns about the project. International Rivers reviewed the Pöyry report and found numerous

Executive SummaryThe Xayaburi Hydropower Project in northern Laos is the first dam proposed for the lower Mekong Mainstream. The stakes are high. Over 60 million people live in the Mekong River Basin, and their livelihoods and cultures are intimately connected with the river's natural cycles. As the world's largest inland fishery, the Mekong supplies the region's people with over half of their protein needs. Over 40 million people, or two-thirds of the population in the Lower Mekong Basin, are involved in the Mekong's fisheries at least part-time or seasonally. According to scientists, the Xay

Sign the Petition to Cancel the Xayaburi Dam The Mekong River and the millions of people it supports are now in jeopardy. In the next few months, regional governments will make a decision about whether to proceed with plans to build the Xayaburi Dam in northern Laos, the first of eleven dams planned for the Lower Mekong Mainstream.The Xayaburi Dam threatens the lives and food security of millions of people. The Mekong River is home to the world's most productive freshwater fishery and is a vital resource for the entire Mekong Region. Scientists agree that the Xayaburi Dam would have se

The site of the proposed Xayaburi Dam In April 2011, five international Mekong specialists carried out a critical analysis of the Xayaburi Dam Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The experts described the EIA as flawed and substandard. The five specialists in the fields of fisheries, livelihood restoration, consultation and water quality expressed surprise that an EIA of such poor quality was being submitted for a project with such far-reaching impacts as the first dam on the lower Mekong Mainstream. The reviews were submitted to the Mekong River Commission as part of the regional consult

On August 3, 2011 International Rivers submitted a legal opinion by U.S law firm Perkins Coie to the Mekong Regional Comission (MRC) and Regional Governments. The opinion states that "Lao PDR's unilateral action to prematurely terminate the PNPCA process, without allowing its neighbor countries to properly conclude that process, violates the Mekong Agreement, and therefore international law." Read the full legal opinion by Perkins Coie in English Read the full legal opinion by Perkins Coie in Vietnamese

Originally published in The Saigon Times CAN THO - Local experts yesterday raised their concerns about the construction of 12 hydropower dams along the Mekong River's lower mainstream, saying that the projects would hurt ecosystems and affect food security of millions of people in the Mekong Delta region, especially Vietnamese. Speaking at a seminar in Can Tho yesterday, Duong Van Ni, director of Hoa An Biodiversity Research and Experimental Center under Can Tho City, said that cultivation and aquaculture in the delta relied on the river while Vietnam provided the world market with seven