Xayaburi dam: 'Testing ground for untried technologies'
In 2019, the first dam on the Lower Mekong will be completed. Environmentalists fear it will threaten fisheries and communities, but the Lao government says the concerns are exaggerated. In the first part of a special series, Pichayada Promchertchoo visited the dam site to find out how developers plan to mitigate the impact.
VIENTIANE: "I miss the Mekong." A sad smile flickered across the face of Thongkham Phalibai, a mother of two and owner of a grocery store in Luang Prabang.
"I was living by the river for so long, earning money from gold panning and farming. But I can't go back there anymore. I don't know where my old house used to be."
It has been four years since Thongkham left a simple life in her old village of Pak Neun for a new one in Neunsavang, a remote village 80 kilometres south of Luang Prabang. She was among the 2,986 villagers who were forced to resettle because their homes either sat on the location of the controversial Xayaburi dam or were in areas that will be flooded.
A joint venture between the Lao government and Thai investors, the US$3.8-billion mega-project has encountered fierce opposition from environmental groups and countries downstream of the dam. Many fear its successful completion will lead to more dams being built on the Mekong, which they believe could have a devastating impact on the tens of millions of people who live in the Lower Mekong Basin.
But the government has played down the concern, maintaining it has struck the right balance between the benefits and potential negative impact of the dam - the first to be built across the Lower Mekong mainstream and one of 12 such projects proposed for the region.
"It's very much exaggerated that we would kill 60 million people. You have to have balance. You have to optimise the benefits and minimise the impacts. And that’s the case," said Laos’ Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong.
His country is the poorest state in Southeast Asia. It is a landlocked nation with limited options to achieve sustainable economic and social development.
But Laos is blessed with many rivers and streams, including Southeast Asia's largest and most powerful river - the Mekong. It flows 1,835 kilometres through the country’s mountainous terrain from north to south, channelling more than half of the region’s power potential to the small nation. As a result, Laos relies heavily on hydropower development, which not only creates energy for domestic consumption but can also raise revenue through export sales.
"You generate cheap electricity. It's renewable and doesn't emit carbon dioxide," Viraphonh added.
WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY
But even the deputy minister admitted there are downsides to hydropower development, particularly when it involves mainstream facilities such as the Xayaburi dam.
The construction has displaced thousands of people from 15 villages and resulted in a loss of traditional livelihoods. Its location across the Mekong’s main channel also means fish migration, sediment and the river's hydrology are affected, which has a potential impact on the millions of people who rely on these natural systems, both within Laos and beyond.
But as environmental groups highlight the concerns, Laos sees windows of opportunity.
Once its turbines start turning in 2019, the Xayaburi dam will generate 1,285 megawatts of clean energy. But because Laos does not need so much power, 95 per cent will be sold to Thailand.
According to project owner Xayaburi Power Co Ltd (XPCL), the project will earn Laos more than US$100 million per year. And for the government, that economic windfall has the potential to improve the lives of the 6.8 million population.
"That's why when you visit any site of hydropower projects in Laos, you won’t see anybody against it," Viraphonh said.
Generally, he seems to be correct
Despite her nostalgia for the good old days by the Mekong, Thongkham admitted her life is far more comfortable in the new village more than 30 kilometres away. Her husband provides motorcycle repair services while she runs a grocery store. Both enjoy reliable electricity, running water and roads.
A similar response was heard on the other side of the Mekong. At Nator Yai village, hundreds of villagers are getting on with their new lives. They had to move from their homes in Houay Souy village to make way for the dam’s development, losing their farmland in the process.
More than 70 affected families have been given new houses and land to grow food, and while some complain they need more space, they agree that life at the new village is not bad.
"It's comfortable," said fisherman-turned-carpenter Thong Phonchampa. "There are many good things here. There is a road and electricity. There is also a school and a temple they built for us. Plus, we're now also closer to doctors."
"Still, I miss the Mekong," the 68-year-old added.
TRANSBOUNDARY IMPACT
In Laos, affected families have been compensated for what they have lost. But it remains unclear exactly how the dam could affect people in neighbouring countries.
For years, the fishermen of Pak Ing Tai village in northern Thailand have struggled with the impact of China's damming in the Upper Mekong. Their riverbank farming has been disrupted by unseasonal floods and droughts while catches continue to decline. Life is also getting harder with shrinking incomes.
"If my husband can't catch any fish, our income that day is zero," said Ratchadaporn Jaikaew. Her young daughter needs to go to school and both of them rely on her husband, Ae.
During the dry season, Ae grows vegetables on the riverbank and fishes for two months when it rains. If he is lucky, he can catch two to three fish in one day and sell them for about US$15, which is enough to buy food for his family. But sometimes, his net remains empty throughout the week. The 35-year-old does not really know why there are fewer fish in the river. However, he is certain in his belief that damming the Mekong mainstream will have a negative impact on fishing stock.
Such stories have influenced the thinking of those who have viewed the development of the Xayaburi dam with concern.
"TESTING GROUND FOR UNTRIED TECHNOLOGIES"
Thousands of people in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have protested against the Xayaburi hydropower project since it was tabled in 2010 with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) - an intergovernmental organisation that supervises the development of Southeast Asia’s longest river.
In the same year, a key report commissioned by the MRC strongly recommended that any decisions on mainstream dams be delayed for 10 years due to their potential to have a major impact on many people. The recommendations drew solid support from the Vietnamese government and environmental groups, which claimed that vital ecosystems, food security and the livelihoods of Mekong communities are at stake.
But the project went ahead and is now 67 per cent complete. Owner XPCL maintains that any potential impact can be mitigated with new technologies, including low-level outlets on the dam to transport sediment - which is a natural fertiliser - and a fish passage.
Also known as a fish ladder, the 18-metre passage is designed to help fish migrate up and down the river, which should allow communities to continue to have access to sufficient fishing supplies. Its many slots feature different water speeds, which XPCL said help different migratory fish in the Mekong.
"The fish passage is designed specifically for Mekong fish. And we're confident it will be effective," said XPCL's deputy managing director of operation and maintenance, Anuparp Wonglakorn.
But some environmentalists do not share his confidence.
"We don't believe in the fish ladder. There's a lot of complexity. How can you make them go to your fish ladder or elevators? They are not human beings," said World Wildlife Fund Cambodia country director Chhith Sam Ath.
"You can't go and call for some training. They live in nature and they have a cycle."
Still, Anuparp is positive the facility will work. He cited a study by fisheries specialists to determine the behaviour of Mekong fish, including the water speeds they use to migrate. Tests were carried out in the river and the findings were used to design the lift.
But due to the great variety of Mekong fish, the company focused on species that are rare or economically important. "The rest are secondary," Anuparp said.
The Mekong is home to the world's largest inland fish habitat and hundreds of species. Critics believe the environmental costs could be devastating if the fish passage fails to work. But until the dam starts operating, nobody knows for sure what will happen.
"This is a trial-and-error approach to impact mitigation, and it essentially turns the vital ecosystems of the Mekong River Basin, and the lives of its people, into a testing ground for new and untried technologies," said Maureen Harris, Southeast Asia Program Director of International Rivers, a leading environmental group that works to protect rivers and the rights of people affected by damming.
MONEY VS ENVIRONMENT
Internationally, environmentalists are calling for the Xayaburi project to be halted while further studies are undertaken to understand its impact. But for investors, a long delay only means more costs and a wait for profit.
"If we want to study nature, it won’t be done even in 20 years because nature keeps changing. And if we delay the construction, the cost will go up. Construction materials will become more expensive and so will the project. It's not worth the investment," Anuparp said.
In front of him, the Mekong was flowing through an enormous concrete barrage. Construction workers were going about their business as usual, oblivious to the waves of concern that continue to build.
But for Anuparp, the sight was a constant reminder of the great potential of hydropower production which should be embraced due to a flood of economic benefits.
Explore the whole series: Power Struggle - Damming the Mekong. Follow Pichayada Promchertchoo on Twitter @PichayadaCNA
