by Kym Luttermoser
25. April 2011
Dams can be a great source of clean and inexpensive power. They are viewed as one of the more environmentally friendly sources of power, and this is true in many regards. But in several developing countries, dams are being built with little regard for environmental impacts that the dam may have, both within the country and on downstream countries.
The Xayaburi Dam is proposed to be built on the lower Mekong River in Laos. This 1.285 megawatt dam is one of 11 planned to be built on the lower Mekong River by 2025. When complete, the dams would supply approximately eight percent of Southeast Asia’s power and boost Laos’ $6 billion economy.
Upon completion of all 11 dams, 55 percent of the lower river would become reservoirs, entire villages would have to be relocated, and an estimated $500 million a year in agricultural losses would occur. Fertile silt would no longer be carried downstream, depriving land used to grow rice of vital nutrients. The reservoirs would also mean a change in habitat from flowing water to still water, impacting what kind of fish could survive. This would result in large die outs of an unknown number of species, and less fish would cut the protein intake of Laos and Thai people by approximately 30 percent.
Neighboring countries of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have all protested the building of the Xayaburi Dam. Vietnam and Cambodia have publicly asked that the building of the dam be postponed until further studies can be done. U.S. Senator Jim Webb, chairman of the U.S. senate subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific said, “It would be prudent to delay construction…until adequate planning and multilateral coordination can be guaranteed. Absent this collaborative approach, the stability of Southeast Asia is at risk.”
The Three Gorges Dam on China’s Yangtze River, completed in 2006, has been blamed for numerous environmental problems, including an increase in waterborne diseases and landslides in surrounding areas. China has also built four dams on the upper Mekong River. Environmentalists say these dams were responsible for a drought in 2010 that created the lowest water levels on the lower Mekong River in half a century. Imagine the impact if there were 11 more dams in place on the river.
As the demand for power grows, it will be important for the long-term success of these developing countries to establish and adhere to regulations that have not only their best interests, but their neighbors’ interests in mind. Their survival could, quite literally, depend on it.
Technorati Tags: Water, Environment, Hydroelectric Dams
