An article I wrote for Khmer 440...
Weighing
up short-term economic gains against long-term environmental costs is always a
thorny issue in geopolitics. But when the profits are reaped in one country and
the ecological costs are suffered in another, then it’s all the more
problematic.
There
are few better examples than the controversial hydroelectric dams planned for
the Mekong River – particularly the Xayaburi Dam in northern Laos, which
campaigners say could devastate fish stocks in Cambodia and Vietnam by blocking
migration routes, and may lead to the extinction of critical species like the
giant Mekong catfish and Irrawaddy dolphin.
In
a worrying development, it appears Thailand’s CH Karnchang is ploughing ahead
with construction of the $3.5bn site despite regional agreements that no work
should take place until more environmental research is done into the likely
impact on the 60 million people living in the Lower Mekong area.
On
Tuesday, the development company’s chief executive Plew Trivisvavet informed
the Thai Stock Exchange that its subsidiary Karnchang (Lao) had signed a
contract with the Xayaburi Power Company (conveniently, another subsidiary of
CH Karnchang) – and construction work was scheduled to begin on March 15 last
month.
At
the time of writing, the Cambodian government said it was trying to get
confirmation from Laos that the dam was going ahead, and that the need for
further study agreed by the four members of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) –
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam – last December had been ignored.
Officials
again warned of the huge environmental costs the project is likely to bring to
Cambodia and its future generations, and stressed the need for more research to
be carried out.
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