April 20,1999
Rasi Salai Dam is located in the middle part of the Mun River, the largest
tributary of the Mekong. Construction commenced in 1992 by Department
of Power Development and Promotion (DPDP), Ministry of Sciences, Technology,
and Environment. This dam is a part of Kong-Chi-Mun Water Diversion Project,
the largest water diversion project in Northeastern Thailand. Under this
project, DPDP has plans to build 13 dams on the Chi and Mun rivers within
42 years, at a total cost of $US5.7 billion. This water diversion project
was promoted by the DPDP and politicians during the late 1980s. They claimed
the project will solve the water shortages in Northeast Thailand by divert
water from Mekong River to the Chi and Mun Rivers.
The process of construction was very deceitful. DPDP began construction
secretively, did not release any information to the public, and stated
they would only build a small rubber weir, not a concrete dam. At Rasi
Salai, the government approved it as a rubber weir 4.5 meters high, and
stated that the water level would not rise above the river bank. In fact,
the DPDP built a 9 meter high concrete dam. This deception took place
in every dam in Kong-Chi-Mun Project.
Rasi Salai dam is a large-scale dam because more than 100 square kilometers
were inundated (80 sq. km. of farmland and fresh water swamp forest).
Under the Environmental Act, every dam project which has a reservoir of
15 square kilometers or more must have an EIA. However, the DPDP failed
to conduct an EIA at Rasi Salai. Therefore, Rasi Salai dam is an illegal
dam and DPDP have broken the law, even though DPDP is under the Ministry
of Sciences Technology and Environment, who are responsible for the Environmental
Act.
This poor process has lead to many problems as following:
1.Economic Impacts:
1.1 A construction cost overrun of more 622 per cent. The original cost
was estimated to be 140 million Baht, but the real construction cost was
871 million Baht.
1.2 The dam was promised to irrigate 55.072 sq. km. If we calculate by
the existing modern irrigation system in the North-East, which has only
37% efficiency, this dam will provide irrigation to only 20.37 sq. km.
while it flooded about 80 sq. km of fertile land. Even though the dam
was completed in 1994, the irrigation system is not operational.
2.Environmental Impacts:
2.1 The dam destroyed the fresh water swamp forest along the banks of
the Mun River. This ecosystem is very important. In ecological terms,
it is a habitat for fish, provides food for fish, and an area for fish
breeding. The fresh water swamp forest along the banks of the Mun River
is also useful for flood control, treating toxic water, and has very high
biodiversity value. In social terms, it provided food, herbal medicine,
as well as farmland for villagers.
2.2.The dam blocks the migration of fish in the middle reaches of the
Mun River. Fish is very important for local villagers.
2.3 The reservoir has been plagued by salination problems, because it
is on top of a big salt dome. Two years after the dam was completed, the
Department of Land Development found high salinity content in the reservoir
because the water in the reservoir dissolves the salt underground and
there is no natural drainage of water. Officials from the Department of
Interior confirmed this problem.
3. Social Impacts:
More than 3000 families lost their farmland by the reservoir. Although
they were against large dams, DPDP deceived them by stating that they
would built a rubber weir, so the villagers did not oppose the project.
After villagers discovered the facts, they started to demonstrate. However
DPDP did not pay compensation to them because there was no EIA report
and no field surveys, so there is no baseline data about the affected
people. After the demonstration PBB paid for private property only, and
gave no compensation for common lands.
Moreover, DPP constructed a dyke to reduce the number of affected villagers
(DPDP has plan to construct a 45.8 km long dike). However, the dyke has
created worse impacts. Its does not allow the water to flow into the reservoir
in monsoon season, and so it floods a vast area of farmland. DPP established
some flood-gates with check valves along the dyke, but it has been ineffective.
Moreover, some time the water flows backwards from the reservoir, because
of poor maintenance.
After a long struggle, Gen. Chawalit Yongjaiyut's Government paid compensation
to 1154 villager families out of more than 3000 affected families.
Gen.Chawalit's Government agreed to correct the problems caused by dyke
construction by installing more mega-pumps for draining water to the reservoir,
and to maintain the flood gates, but DPDP did nothing.
4.Human Rights Impact:
To construct the dam, the Government and DPP were not concerned about
human rights, and violated the constitution. They did this by supporting
other groups to attack the affected peoples, and by arresting village
leaders. On January 18th of this year, 4 village leaders were arrested
by police. They are Ms. Pha Kongkaew, Mr. Saksit Buapan, Mr. Pijit Silalak,
and Mr. Boonmee Sopang. And on April 18th , Mr. Boon Nanaul was arrested.
Now most of them are facing court proceedings.