Laos has complied with the procedures for notification, prior
consultation and agreement under the 1995 Mekong Agreement before starting
construction of the Xayaboury dam on the mainstream of the Mekong River,
according to a senior official from the Lao National Mekong Committee
Secretariat.
Lao National Mekong Committee
Secretariat Deputy Secretary General, Aloune Xayavong, made the comment on
Friday in response to a retired Thai senator and NGO officials who accused the
Lao government of contravening the 1995 Mekong Agreement after beginning
construction of the dam.
“It is a groundless accusation
and all of the legal experts are well aware that we have not violated any
international agreement,” he told Vientiane Times.
“I suspect that the people made
this accusation because they wanted to discredit us and create dispute among
the MRC member countries.”
Aloune said that as a signatory
to the 1995 Mekong Agreement and founding member of the Mekong River Commission
(MRC), Laos held prior consultations with MRC member countries concerning
construction of the Xayaboury dam, and completed the process of prior
consultation in April last year.
During the prior consultation
process, Laos provided comprehensive information on the dam to MRC member
countries. However, some member countries continued to express concern that
construction of the dam would cause trans-boundary impacts.
“Laos could have begun
construction of the dam immediately after completing the consultation process.
But we did not because our neighbours were still concerned about the
trans-boundary impacts. We then reviewed all of these concerns to maintain
Mekong spirit and cooperation with our neighbouring nations,” Aloune said.
To address the concerns of
neighbouring countries, the Lao government and the project developer hired
reputable international experts Poyry and Compagnie National du Rhone (CNR) to
redesign the dam, to ensure there would be no significant environmental impacts
either up or downstream.
Aloune explained that the
Xayaboury dam was a run-of-river dam and did not store large amounts of water,
therefore it would not cause water flows to dry up downstream. The dam has a
navigation lock so that boats can pass, built-in fish ladders so that fish can
migrate, and a sediment flushing system that enables sediment to flow
downstream.
“The Xayaboury dam is a
state-of-the-art dam; it is a kind of transparent dam, which means it is a dam
without a dam,” he said.
Under the 1995 Mekong Agreement,
any MRC member country that wishes to use water or develop a project on the
mainstream of the Mekong River or its tributaries must follow the prior
consultation process.
If a country wants to use water
from Mekong tributaries in both the wet and dry seasons, it is required to
notify all of the MRC member countries.
If a country wants to use water
from the mainstream of the Mekong River in the wet season, it needs to notify
the other member countries. However, a country is required to enter into prior
consultations with other member countries if it wants to divert water from the
Mekong basin to other basins.
If a country wants to use water
from the mainstream of the Mekong River in the dry season, it is required to
have prior consultations with other member countries.
News Desk
Business & Investment Opportunities
Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd (SBC) is incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Health care and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN 's area. We are currently changing the platform of www.yourvietnamexpert.com, if any request, please, contact directly Dr Christian SIODMAK, business strategist, owner and CEO of SBC at christian.siodmak@gmail.com. Many thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment