Laos yesterday said it would not make a final
decision on construction of the controversial Xayaburi dam in the mainstream
body of the Mekong River until it gets the approval of the international
community and countries in the Lower Mekong basin over environment concerns.
Work on
the site by the Thai construction company Ch Karnchang was just preparation,
mostly in the primary and exploration stage, said Lao Vice minister of Energy
and Mines Viraphonh Viravong.
Laos
has proposed building the Xayaburi Dam on the mainstream Mekong, about 150 km
downstream from Luang Prabang, to generate 1,260MW of power, mainly for export
to Thailand.
Laos
has followed guidance under the 1995 Mekong agreement following prior
consultation with other members within six months - a period that ended in
April of last year.
"Laos
has complied with the regulations and taken all concerns made by member
countries into account and found the project caused no serious damage to the
river and environment," Viraphonh said.
However,
many members, notably Cambodia and Vietnam, which are downstream from the site,
as well as civic groups in Thailand, remain concerned over fish migration and
sediment. Consequently the Lao authority has conducted further studies on the
environment, Viraphonh said.
A Swiss
consultant recommended flushing as a way to release sediment downstream and
more fish ladders to allow fish migration, he said.
A
French dam operator was hired as a consultant to review environment impact and
a report by this consultant was sent to other members of the Mekong River
Commission (MRC) a week ago, he said.
The
consultant suggested regularly opening of flushing ways to release sediment
every month - but that would cause a halt in electricity generating.
"We
will address and take into account all reasonable concerns in order to make
this Xayaburi dam a transparent dam and a role model for other dams in the
mainstream of the Mekong River," Viraphonh told reporters.
The
design of the Xayaburi dam was modified to make it an environment-friendly
hydropower project, he said. "Even the turbine to generate electricity was
a fish friendly version," he said.
Modification
and adjustment of the dam could slightly raise construction costs, he said and
noted the Lao government was consulting with Ch Karnchang if the company could
absorb the cost, he said.
The Lao
minister was in Phuket yesterday for an international conference on
transboundary river management in which executives from 14 international river
systems around the world participated.
In the
messages they would send to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio
de Janeiro next month, the executives emphasised that "nexus" would
be a key consideration for regional stability on water, food and energy.
One of
the nine points in the message said "in addressing the nexus it is
recognised that water management needs to respect the basin and aquifer as the
basic unit, from the smallest catchment to the major transboundary
basins."
"Hence
the opportunities and trade-off of the nexus need to be addressed at the basin
level, and transboundary river basin and aquifer management entities should be
empowered to play their role in influencing national decisions."
MRC
chief executive officer Hans Guttman said an empowered river management body
had been experienced in the Niger River (in Africa).
However,
such an example might not fit the circumstances of the Mekong River when
conflict among members over the transboundary impact of their respective
development projects is considered.
Supalak
Ganjanakhundee
The
Nation
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