The Xayaburi Dam

Date: 
Friday, January 21, 2011

A Looming Threat to the Mekong River

This International River's fact-sheet provides information regarding the threat the planned Xayaburi Hydropower Dam poses to the Lower Mekong River.  Located in a mountainous valley in Northern Laos, the Xayaburi Dam is the most advanced of eleven large dams planned for the Lower Mekong River's mainstream.  If built, the dam will cause irreversible and permanent ecological change to a mighty river that feeds millions of people, forcibly resettle over 2,100 people and directly affect over 202,000 people, and could push iconic and endangered fish species, such as the Mekong Giant Catfish, to extinction.