Mekong Mainstream Dams

Article from The Nation, Bangkok's Independent Newspaper Environmentalists slammed the Mekong River Commission yesterday forfailing to protect the waterway. They called for higher moral standards and transparency at theintergovernmental organisation. "The commission needs to prove it is a useful organisation for thepublic, not just investors," said Chulalongkorn University SocialResearch Institute director Surichai Wankaew. Surichai told a news conference in Bangkok yesterday he wanted thecommission's role changed. Instead of "facilitating dam construction" it should be a platform foraffected

BANGKOK, Nov 14 (IPS) - The campaign to save South-east Asia's largest waterway from being blocked by a series of massive dams picked up pace this week, with activists accusing a regional river authority of abandoning its mission to protect the Mekong River. Local and international environmental groups are incensed at the initial work underway to build the six dams on the mainstream of the Mekong River, which, till now, has flowed freely along the borders or through Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Four of the six hydropower dams are to be built in Laos, while one each has been earmarked

201 signatories express their concern about the revival of plans to build dams on the lower Mekong, and the failure of the international Mekong River Commission (MRC) to uphold the 1995 Mekong Agreement. Read the letter to MRC, and the MRC secretariat and development partners response. To: Chief Executive Officer of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, Vientiane, Lao PDR, Donor institutions currently supporting the Mekong River Commission Re: MRC and hydropower dams on the lower Mekong mainstream We, the undersigned citizens groups, are writing to express our concerns about the revival of

Article from Associated Press BANGKOK, Thailand: Six proposed dams on the Mekong River coulddisplace up to 75,000 villagers and harm hundreds of species like theendangered giant catfish and Irrawaddy dolphin, conservationistswarned Tuesday. Premrudee Daoroung, director of the Bangkok-based environmental groupTERRA, said 13-year-old plans to build four dams in Laos and one eachin Thailand and Cambodia have been revived as part of efforts - mostlyby China, Thailand and Vietnam - to find new energy sources for theirgrowing economies. "The natural flow of the river will all be completely changed,

Article written by DPA, and reported in the Bangkok Post The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has failed to prevent six dam projects from moving ahead on the regional river despite unanswered questions about environmental and social impact of the schemes, environmental and civil society groups said Tuesday."We urge all donors to review their support to the MRC," said Premrudee Daoroung, director of the Towards Ecological Recovery & Regional Alliances (TERRA), one of 201 groups to sign a petition blasting the four-party Mekong River Commission for failing to protect the river's fisheries and p

As the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and its donors prepare for their annual consultative meeting, 201 organisations and individuals from 30 countries around the world, including 126 citizens groups in the Mekong countries, have sent a resounding wake up call to the MRC. This action comes in response to news of the revival of six proposals to dam the Lower Mekong River. [read entire Letter to MRC] Civil society groups are demanding the MRC fulfil its obligation to protect the Mekong, in light of compelling scientific evidence that warns of the disastrous consequences of damming the lower Mekon

This report examines available information on the potential impact of the proposed Don Sahong hydroelectric dam to the Irrawaddy Dolphin.Key messages from the report are: The Mekong River population of Irrawaddy dolphin is listed in the IUCN Red List as "Critically Endangered", the highest form of threat before a population becomes extinct in the wild.The proposed Don Sahong dam would be built <2 km upstream from the third largest group of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River. This group of 10 individuals represents 14% of the Mekong populationThis group is the only population of Irrawadd

This World Rivers Review article discusses the revival of plans to build a cascade of dams on the Mekong River mainstream and the likely implications. While China is midway through the construction of a controversial cascade of major dam projects on the Upper Mekong mainstream, the lower stretch of the river shared by Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam has so far escaped hydropower development. For the 60 million people who depend on the lower Mekong for food, income, transportation and other services, that has been good news. But now there are troubling signs that the tide is turning, as L

Site of the proposed Don Sahong Dam The following letter from thirty eminent scientists raises concerns over the impacts of the Don Sahong Dam planned for the mainstream Mekong River in the Khone Falls area of Southern Lao with Governmental and international agencies responsible for managing and developing the Mekong River. Read the full letter (English)

Open letter from 28 Non-Governmental Organizations to the Lao PDR Government, the Mekong River Commission and the Governments of Thailand, Cambodia and VietnamPlea to abandon plans for the Don Sahong Dam on the mainstream Mekong River in the Khone Falls area To Whom It May Concern, We are releasing this open letter to express our deep concerns about the possible development of the Don Sahong dam, planned for the mainstream Mekong River in Khong District, Champasak Province, southern Lao PDR. We urge the government of the Lao PDR to refuse approval for this project. We believe that this proje