라오스, 환경 문제 불구 새 댐 건설계획 발표 논란 VIDEO:Laos to go ahead with Luang Prabang dam project despite warnings
Laos to go ahead with Luang Prabang dam project despite warnings
Dam project receives green light from Laos government despite environmental concerns.
by Andrew Nachemson
The government of Laos has officially informed the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its plan to build a new dam in Luang Prabang, despite warnings about the project's environmental effects.
Construction site of the Nam Tha 1 dam in Bokeo Province, Laos, in July 2017.
라오스, 환경 문제 불구 새 댐 건설계획 발표 논란 라오스 정부는 이 사업의 환경 영향에 대한 경고에도 불구하고 루앙프라방에 새 댐을 건설 계획을 정부간 메콩강위원회(MRC)에 공식 통보했다. 알자지라 측에 보낸 e메일을 통해 "정부가 6개월간의 사전 협의 과정을 거치도록 제출한 루앙프라방 수력 사업에 대해 MRC 사무국이 라오스 정부로부터 통보를 받은 사실을 확인했다"고 밝혔다.
이 통보는 지난달 31일 메콩강의 개발과 자원을 관리하기 위해 지역 정부와 협력하는 기관인 MRC에 발송됐다. MRC는 라오스의 제출을 검토했으며 관련국인 캄보디아, 태국, 베트남 등 다른 회원국에 통보했다고 밝혔다. 사전 협의 절차는 최소 6개월 이상 지속되지만 연장될 수 있다. 이 기간 동안 MRC 회원국들은 프로젝트를 검토하고, 국경을 넘는 문제를 평가하고, 변화를 제안할 수 있다. 하지만, MRC는 통치 기구가 아니며, 궁극적으로 댐을 건설하기 위한 최종 결정은 라오스에만 있다. 회원국들은 10월 초에 회의를 하고, 이달 말에 더 많은 정보가 공개될 것이다. 황기철 콘페이퍼 에디터 큐레이터 Ki Chul Hwang, conpaper editor, curator |
edited by kcontents
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"We confirm that the MRC Secretariat has received the notification from the Lao government on the Luang Prabang Hydropower Project in which the government has submitted to undergo the six-month Prior Consultation process," the commission said in an email to Al Jazeera.
The notification was sent to MRC, an agency that works with regional governments to manage the development and resources of the Mekong River, on July 31.
The MRC said it has reviewed Laos's submission, and notified the other member countries: Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The prior consultation process lasts a minimum of six months, but can be extended. During this period, MRC country members can review the project, assess transboundary issues and suggest changes.
The Mekong River this year experienced historically low water levels [File: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]
However, the MRC is not a governing body, and ultimately, the final decision to build the dam rests with Laos alone.
The member countries will meet in early October and more information will be made public at the end of the month.
'Jeopardise the future'
The Luang Prabang dam is seen as part of Laos's plan to become the "battery of Southeast Asia" aimed at lifting the country out of poverty.
As originally proposed, it would be a 1,410 megawatts project with a 90sq km (35sq miles) reservoir, located 30km (18.6 miles) from Luang Prabang town.
A Vietnamese company, VP Power, is slated to hold the largest share.
According to International Rivers (IR), an environmental and human rights NGO, Laos has plans for nine dams along the Mekong mainstream, while Cambodia has proposed two more.
Two - Xayaburi and Don Sahong - are already under construction.
"If the remaining ... proposed dams are built, they seriously jeopardise the future of the Mekong as a life-sustaining ecosystem," IR says in a statement on its website.
This year, the Mekong River experienced historically low water levels, which experts attributed to a combination of global climate change and the effect of dams.
The dams may have disastrous environmental consequences - especially in Cambodia which is home to Tonle Sap lake, a major freshwater fishery fed by the Mekong that provides the country with 70 percent of its total protein intake.
An official from Cambodia's Fisheries Administration declined to comment, while officials from the Ministry of Environment and the Cambodia National Mekong Committee could not be reached.
Environmental concerns
Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia programme director for IR, said she was "disappointed" by Laos's decision, and criticised the country for resisting development plans that take a more regional approach.
"The scientific evidence on the cumulative impacts of these projects is clear. Major impacts include destruction of fisheries, loss of sediment and alterations in flow patterns - jeopardising the food security and livelihoods of river basin communities," she said via an email.
Harris also questioned the effectiveness of the prior consultation process in actually addressing issues.
"The ongoing failure to respond to public concerns prompted a regional civil society boycott of the last Prior Consultation for the Pak Lay dam," she said.
A development expert who attended a meeting to discuss transboundary issues of the Pak Lay dam in January said the meeting was held in a five-star resort in Laos with "no expenses spared".
He highlighted the futility of the event, claiming that Laos did not take seriously suggestions from other stakeholders.
Impacts of the dam collapse in Ban Hinlat-Tha Sangchan, Laos
Roengrit Kongmuang, July 2018/internationalrivers.org
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"Countries were given a platform to voice their concerns on the proposed dam, but it's a largely ineffective set-up," he said, adding that the Lao delegation seemed to defer to the dam's developers.
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According to Radio Free Asia, about 4,600 people are expected to be displaced by the dam.
The MRC said that "relocation and compensation issues are the responsibility" of Laos.
"Resettlement programmes in Laos have frequently involved inadequate compensation for lost resources and income, poor-quality land and loss of livelihood," Harris said.
Trinh Le Nguyen, head of Vietnam's People and Nature Reconciliation, said at this point he expects all proposed dams to be built, regardless of their environmental effect.
"It's like domino effect now," he said, noting that more than enough evidence of environmental damage has been presented.
"I am afraid another consultation is just a waste of time for everyone, considering lessons from previous four," Nguyen said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/laos-luang-prabang-dam-project-warnings-190924102523452.html
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