An alternate pastfuture for mekong river dams under the. The strategic environmental assessment concludes that decisions on mainstream dams should be deferred for a period of ten years because the risks of potential environmental and economic impact. Construction began in 2012 and is scheduled to finish in 2019 but the project has been marred by allegations of human rights abuses and concerns over severe environmental and social consequences. The ngo forums campaign against xayaburi stimson center. Egat has not conducted an environmental impact assessment in thailand for the xayaburi dam, nor has it conducted adequate public consultations, the. Review of the design changes made for xayaburi hydropower project. Thai activists protest new xayaburi dam on the mekong. In april 2011, five international mekong specialists carried out a critical analysis of the xayaburi dam environmental impact assessment eia. The conflict focuses largely on the impact that the xayaburi dam and other mekong dams will have on food security. Mar 30, 2014 ngos set oneyear deadline to stop xayaburi dam posted on 30 march 2014 leading nongovernmental organisations ngos today issued a joint declaration in opposition to ongoing construction of the xayaburi dam on the mekong river mainstem, and called on the thai government to cancel the power purchase agreement relating to the controversial. The lao government has pledged to resolve the environmental issues. Review of the design changes made for xayaburi hydropower. Impacts of the xayaburi dam on the mekong river interview.
However, such agreement was never sought for the xayaburi dam. This recent news and the building of the xayaburi dam is another reminder that transboundary environmental impact assessments reflect the ideal of an environmental safeguard that is not practiced in reality and will continue to perform as lip service until it is connected to substantive prohibition knox 2002. Environmental impact assessment eia is a central process in sustainable development to reduce. Despite requests from cambodia and vietnam, laos and thailand even refused to study the dams transboundary impacts before beginning construction. A submission to project developers raising concerns about the environmental impact assessment for the xayaburi dam. Apr 18, 2011 the dam, which is situated between steep hills and will span a distance of about eight football fields, will have the same impact as a natural waterfall, the government said in response to. After dam and reservoir projects are completed, the actual environmental impact can be investigated by environmental impact post assessment eipa, and can be compared to the predicted results of. Villagers brace for resettlement amid signs laos wants to. A staff member at the thai construction giant, speaking to rfa on condition of anonymity, said it is in charge of the design and environmental impact assessment for the luang prabang dam, but. Based on the social impact assessment sia, the resettlement action plan rap was formulated in compliance with the provisions of the lao pdrs national policy on resettlement and compensation, decree on the compensation and resettlement of the development projects, the environmental. Mar 08, 20 this recent news and the building of the xayaburi dam is another reminder that transboundary environmental impact assessments reflect the ideal of an environmental safeguard that is not practiced in reality and will continue to perform as lip service until it is connected to substantive prohibition knox 2002. Knight piesold consulting is the environmental assessment practitioner appointed to.
The environmental impact post assessment mainly include. Dam and reservoir constructions not only displace communities but also significantly disturb the ecological balance of a region. Controversial xayaburi hydropower dam impact on lower mekong. Laos xayaburi dam decision requires a mekong standard read more. Proposed xayaburi dam project assessment of the developers documents on the planning, design, operations and management of. W1 mekong river downstream from proposed dam site 2 km. The mekong river, downstream of the proposed site for the xayaburi dam a looming threat to the mekong river the xayaburi dam located in a mountainous valley in northern laos, the proposed xayaburi hydropower dam is the most advanced of eleven large dams planned for the lower mekong rivers mainstream. It was the first lower mekong mainstream hydropower project submitted to the mrc for prior consultation under the pnpca. Environmental impact postassessment of dam and reservoir. Decision looms on xayaburi dam, its impact still unclear. Decision looms on mekong river dam opposed by conservation groups. This report illustrates seven sins of dam building.
An overview of the luang prabang hydropower project and. The assessment acknowledges that the dam could alter the lower mekongs hydrology. Laos released the initial xayaburi dam environmental impact assessment. The xayaburi dam project has received significant regional and global attention. Review of fisheries aspects in the poyry reportfinal. Submission of final reports for environmental impact assessment. Xayaburi hydropower project prior consultation process.
In april 2012 a contract was signed for a thai company, ch karnchang, to build the dam. Comments concerning the environmental impact assessment. The xayaburi hydroelectric power project has completed a thorough environmental and social impact assessment conducted by leading consultants with extensive experience in environmental engineering. You cant look at xayaburi in isolation, says matti kummu, a hydrologist at aalto university in finland. Mekong communities seek injunction on xayaburi dam deal. The experts described the eia as flawed and substandard. W4 mekong river upstream from proposed dam site 12 km. After xayaburi, its time for some hydrodiplomacy iucn. A strategic environmental assessment commissioned by the mekong river commission mrc recommends a 10year deferral of all mekong mainstream dams in cambodia, laos, thailand, and vietnam, and calls for further studies. Fatally flawed xayaburi eia fails to uphold international.
In less than a month, will the mekong water level drop or not. Laos xayaburi dam decision requires a mekong standard. These new investors, likely focused on profits, may not consider recommendations of the world commission on dams or other corporate social responsibility guidelines 11 12. Intl rivers analysis of poyry xayaburi report nov 2011 international. Environmental impact assessment of dams and reservoirs. Environmental assessment of mainstream dams sea recommendation to. Development of guidelines for hydropower environmental impact mitigation and risk management in the lower mekong mainstream and tributaries, volume 4 draft final case study report, final mainstream dams assessment including alternative scheme layouts version 2. Economic, environmental and social impacts of hydropower development in the lower mekong basin apisom intralawan, david wood and richard frankel mae fah luang university, chiang rai presentation prepared for the lower mekong public policy initiative, fulbright economics teaching program, ho chi minh city, vietnam 09 december 2016. Xayaburi mainstream dam on the lower mekong river, lao pdr. Feasibility study for xayaburi by the developer, environmental impact assessment, august 2010.
Damming the mekong river another example of ea failure in. Insights from the xayaburi controversy volume 5 issue 1 alistair rieuclarke. An environmental management plan was drawn up collaboratively by the project developers, representatives from the lao pdr, local administrations. Any environmental assessment limited to xayaburi, or even the six dam cascade it would anchor, ignores the combined impact of all 12 hydropower projects on the lower mekong basin.
Decision looms on mekong river dam opposed by conservation. This may include an assessment of possible impacts on other water uses. Ame trandem, international rivers1 14 march 2011 introduction the purpose of an environmental impact assessment eia is to help aid decisionmaking by. Although dams play an important role in meeting various needs of human settlements, these structures have a negative impact on the environment. The world bank hails hydropower as the sustainable development tool to.
Apr 25, 2017 what is the environmental impact of dams and reservoirs. The mekong river, a vein of life in southeast asia, is among the most biodiverse rivers in the world and a central livelihood source of tens of millions of villagers living nearby. The ppa made between egat and the xayaburi power company limited, was approved without an assessment of the projects environmental and health impacts and without consultations in thailandthe administrative courtdenied jurisdiction to hear the communities casethe communitiesfiled a formal appealif the lawsuit is. Last september, ch karnchang submitted to the lao government an environmental impact assessment on xayaburi prepared by bangkokbased team consulting engineering and management co. The xayaburi dam is a hydropower project under construction on the mekong river in northwest laos, just across the border from nan province, thailand. Comments concerning the environmental impact assessment and. Recently, ive been looking at the environmental impact assessment eia for the proposed xayaburi hydropower project in northwestern laos, the first of the 11 proposed dam projects in the lower mekong basinand what it says about prospects for. Environmental impact assessment in the mekong region. Economic, environmental and social impacts of hydropower. This is a non response from the following companies.
After xayaburi, its time for some hydrodiplomacy tue, 05 feb 20 the groundbreaking ceremony for the xayaburi dam in laos on nov 7 marked the symbolic end to a long and contentious international campaign to delay the dam s construction until further studies into its potential transboundary impacts. The decision to build the dam is based on a seriously flawed environmental impact assessment and totally ignores an earlier agreement in 2011 with cambodia, thailand, and vietnam that would extend the decisionmaking process until major gaps in the current knowledge about the environmental and social impacts of the xayaburi dam are reconciled. For the xayaburi hydropower dam on the mekong river. Substandard dam assessment opens way to fisheries destruction.
Despite requests from cambodia and vietnam, laos and thailand even refused to study the dam s transboundary impacts before beginning construction. Laoss controversial xayaburi dam on mekong river begins. Environmental impact assessment eia is one of the primary envi. Constructing dams and narratives in the mekong river basin mdpi. Environmental social impact assessment esia summary project. According to an mrc spokeswoman, construction of the xayaburi dam will result in irreversible environmental impacts. Dec 16, 2011 the mekong river is currently under siege by a proposal for a major dam on the rivers main stream in northern laos. The rivers water has become clear since the xayaburi dam upstream began generating hydropower. What is the environmental impact of dams and reservoirs.
Today, the supreme administrative court of thailand hears a case brought by thai villagers against thai agencies for the impacts of the xayaburi dam being built in laos. Now these agencies, with their commitment to some level of environmental and social impact assessment, are being replaced by investment from private and stateowned banks. The xayaburi hydroelectric power project environmental impact assessment eia fails to address many important aspects of the proposed modification of the natural flow regime of the mekong river and the consequences of the modified flow on the river at three locations. Apr 18, 2011 decision looms on mekong river dam opposed by conservation groups. Today environmental impact assessment eia is known as one of the most important tools for decision makers in the construction of civil and industrial projects towards sustainable development.
Fao found that the environmental impact assessment eia for the proposed xayaburi dam in laos and assessment were woefully inadequate and fell well below international standards for such studies. Xayaburi hydroelectric power project, lao pdr and letter of notification dated. At times it may be merely a single underperforming aspect that discredits an entire project, but sometimes there are a wide range of flaws and wrongdoings. That the xayaburi hydropower project in lao pdr is one of the. Notification and consultation procedures under the mekong. Review of xayaburi dam eia incorporation into regional. Look at the impact created by just the xayaburi dam. Mekong river, public participation in hydropower development. Substandard dam assessment opens way to fisheries destruction on mekong. Ngos set oneyear deadline to stop xayaburi dam wwf. Since the beginning of 2011, the rivers coalition in cambodia rcc, led by the ngo forum on cambodia, has worked ceaselessly to demand the cancellation of xayaburi dam. Recently, laos, thailand, cambodia, and vietnam agreed to put construction of the xayaburi dam on hold until an official impact assessment can be made of the potentially adverse environmental, social.
Pdf impacts of mainstream hydropower dams on fisheries. The proposed xayaburi dam is one of 11 hydropower projects mooted for the mekong. Jun 19, 2014 compiled slide presentation on the impact of xayaburi dam on lower mekong downstream countries. Notification and consultation procedures under the mekong agreement. Development energy environment governance transboundary.
Construction of the xayaburi dam forges ahead without agreement according to a strategic environmental impact assessment sea commissioned by the mekong river commission mrc, implementation of the 11 planned dam projects on the lower mekong. Rcc has taken this position because the dam will have severe negative impacts upon cambodians, especially since the majority of cambodians depend on fisheries both along the mekong the ngo forums. The projects current environmental impact assessment only examines impacts 10 kilometers downstream from the dam site. Apr 14, 2011 disruptions to fish migration and food supplies for millions in the mekong basin are likely if the first mainstream dam on the lower mekong is allowed to go ahead, wwf predicted as it released expert analysis showing the dam feasibility study and environmental impact assessment failed to address key environmental risks. Development of guidelines for hydropower environmental impact mitigation and risk management in the. Environmental impact assessment mekong river commission. The xayaburi dam on the mekong river may have to be redesigned to avoid any adverse impact on the environment, a senior lao official says, citing a french study amid opposition to the project by. Oct 19, 2011 in the case of the proposed xayaburi dam, some scientists say the environmental impact assessment eia conducted for the builder is seriously flawed because it does not consider the wider effects.
These effects will almost certainly be exacerbated by global and regional. Xayaburi, first of 11 large dams planned for the lower mekong rivers mainstream. A political economy of environmental impact assessment in the. An environmental impact assessment was carried out for the project. Environmental impact assessment process the objectives of the environmental impact assessment process are. Life on mekong faces threats as major dams begin to rise with a massive dam under construction in laos and other dams on the way, the mekong river is facing a wave of hydroelectric projects that could profoundly alter the rivers ecology and disrupt the food supplies of millions of people in southeast asia. Xayaburi dam 89 posts tagged environmental impact assessment eia. Pdf environmental impact postassessment of dam and.
Construction of the 1285megawatt xayaburi dam in northern laos began in 2010. The author raises concerns about the 2011 environmental impact assessment social impact assessment consultation process, and notes a number of deficiencies in these assessments. The government of lao pdr did not respect recommendations by. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Xayaburi mainstream dam on the lower mekong river, lao pdr description. Life on mekong faces threats as major dams begin to rise. Mekong communities seek injunction on xayab uri dam deal. Nov 04, 2016 the environmental impact assessment in the mekong region manual is the first time that anyone has sought to bring together in one volume an analysis of the eia systems of each of the six mekong countries, including the common themes and approaches. Aug 12, 2011 the experience so far has proved unsettling. According to the xayaburi dams environmental impact assessment. This was also the first project undertaken by the mln, in collaboration with eri. Environmental impact assessment of dams and reservoirs kyohei baba k. That the xayaburi projects environmental impact assessment eia does not meet.
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