Mekong Mainstream Dams

Project is single greatest threat facing the Mekong RiverIllegal Consturction at Xayaburi Dam Site A field visit to the site of the proposed Xayaburi Dam on the Mekong River has revealed that construction on the dam's access road and work-camp is rapidly forging ahead, in spite of commitments made by the government of Laos at the April 19 meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to temporarily suspend the project. This commitment was reportedly reiterated by the Lao Government just two weeks ago to a top U.S. diplomat. The trip to the Xayaburi Dam site on July 23rd revealed that a subst

A Guide for Communities in Laos Affected by DamsThe government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic has announced its plans to build close to 30 new dams by 2020.  This guide, written in a popular style and in Lao language, contains information for dam-affected people, NGO staff and other interested people about dams, their impacts and what communities can do to protect their rights.  The aim of this action guide is to share information about what to expect if a dam is built in your area. To help understand Lao laws about planning and operating dams, including compensation for af

Originally published in Reuters Laos is forging ahead with construction of a controversial $3.5 billion hydropower dam in breach of an agreement to suspend the project pending approval by ministers of neighboring countries, an environmental group said on Thursday. The Lao government has already given Thai developer Ch Karnchang the go-ahead to resume work on the Xayaburi Dam, informing the company that the Mekong River Commission's (MRC) decision-making process was complete, according to International Rivers, an environmental and human rights group. "The government of Laos has commit

Originally published in Reuters Experts warn of irreversible damage if dam goes aheadLaos prepares for construction, defies regional pressureFood security, agriculture, fisheries threatenedMekong countries to push for delay, detailed study BANGKOK - Plans for the first dam across the lower Mekong River are putting Laos on a collision course with its neighbours and environmentalists who fear livelihoods, fish species and farmland could be destroyed, potentially sparking a food crisis. The impoverished, Communist nation seems determined to defy international pressure and forge ahead with constr

Originally published in The Financial Times A decision on whether to allow a controversial $3.8bn hydroelectric dam across the Mekong river has been delayed, raising fresh doubts over a project that Laos hopes will establish it as the "battery of south-east Asia". The Mekong River Commission, which is made up of representatives of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, had been due to make its decision on Tuesday. But instead it has passed the final judgment on whether to give the green light to the Xayaburi dam in Laos, to regional ministers. The delegates did not set a date for a

Originally published on msnbc.com Laos defers decision amid controversy that the plan would destroy a lifeline for millions in Southeast Asia Millions of people living along the Mekong River face a crisis that could destroy their lifeline and kill off whole species of fish: construction of a dam - the first of 11 proposed in the waterway's lower basin - in Laos. Conservationists warn that the dam could significantly reduce the critical fish stock in the Mekong, the world's most productive inland fishery. Laos deferred a decision on the hydropower dam Tuesday in the face of strong op

Xayaburi Dam DelayedSite of the proposed Xayaburi Dam On April 19, 2011, government representatives from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia met to conclude the regional decision-making process on the Xayaburi Dam, the first dam proposed for the Lower Mekong Mainstream. At this meeting the four lower Mekong Basin countries agreed that the decision on the Xayaburi Dam be deferred and elevated to the Ministerial level. The April 19 decision brings a much needed, if temporary, reprieve to the mighty Mekong River. Whilst Laos proposed to proceed with the dam, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam cal