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Chinese Dams Accused of Flooding the Region
By LAWI WENG
The Irrawaddy Online. November 14, 2008
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14633
Many of the 300 representatives at a recent forum in Bangkok have
blamed Chinese authorities for releasing water from three hydropower
dams on the Mekong River in August, which devastated hundreds of
communities downstream.
The accusations were aired at a forum titled Mekong Mainstream Dams:
Voices across Borders, which was held at Chulalongkorn University in
the Thai capital from November 12-13. Most of the 300 community
leaders, environmentalists and activists attending the meeting were
from the six nations comprising the Greater Mekong SubregionChina,
Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The two-day forum focused on the devastation and loss of lives and
livelihoods following floods in the subregion in August.
Witoon Permpongsachareon, a coordinator with the Mekong Energy and
Ecology Network, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that many
representatives at the forum pointed fingers at Chinas hydropower
Mekong River damsManwan, Dachaoshan and Jinghongwhich released
billions of tons of water as a safety measure in May after Sichuan
Province in western China was hit by an earthquake. The resulting
floods destroyed thousands of homes, farms and livelihoods in Mekong
River communities downstream and affected millions of people.
The representatives are annoyed with the Chinese government and they
send strong messages to the government to respect other peoples
rights, he said.
According to a report in Fridays The Bangkok Post, a former
headmaster at Chiang Khong School in Chiang Rai Province, northern
Thailand, accused the Chinese of causing the heaviest floods in the
area for 40 years.
At least three districts [in northern Thailand] have yet to recoup
the financial loss of 85 million baht (US $2.4 million) said the
headmaster. Not to mention the heartbreak of being fooled by
authorities that dams help prevent flooding, serve agriculture and
produce electricity.
However, a chief executive officer from the Mekong River Commission
(MRC) claimed that the Chinese dams were not responsible for the
regional flooding and blamed the Laotian authorities.
The representatives at the forum also spoke about the impact of dams
on the natural ecosystem in the river. Many fish are unable to travel
to feed or spawn because the dams block the river. Fish production in
the Mekong is decreasing every year and more dams are being built in
China, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, according to the Mekong River
Commission Fisheries Program.
According to data from the commission, the Mekong River is the worlds
largest inland fishery with some 1.5 to 3 million tonnes of fish
products per year.
Speaker after speaker at the seminar urged the six countries
governments to reduce their reliance on electrical power.
Over the next few years, Laos is planning to construct at least seven
dams, with a total electricity generating capacity of 7,470 megawatts,
while another two Thai-Lao projects will produce a total of 3,409
megawatts. Cambodia, too, has released plans for two hydropower dams
at Stung Treng and Sambor. |
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