The Lao government is ready to answer questions concerning the Xayaboury
dam and is confident it can address concerns over the cross-border impacts of
the first hydropower dam planned for the Lower Mekong Basin.
The ministry of energy and mines
announced on Friday that it will accompany representatives of Mekong countries
and development partners in Laos on a visit this week to the planned site of
the first hydropower plant on the lower Mekong.
This is the first time the
government has officially given foreigners access to the US$3.5 million project
area. It has stayed silent on the issue despite demands from environmentalists
in recent months to conduct the project transparently.
“We have nothing to hide,” Deputy
Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong said on Friday while briefing
Lao media and government officials about the visit to the planned Xayaboury dam
on July 16-17.
The government hired two
reputable independent consultants - Poyry and Companie Nationale du Rhone - to
review the concerns of environmentalists and Mekong River Commission (MRC)
members, even though a prior consultation process had been completed in line
with a 1995 MRC agreement.
The consultants will also take
part in the Xayaboury tour and answer all of the questions put by participants
concerning measures in response to the concerns of environmentalists.
Cambodian environmentalists are
concerned that the dam will restrict the passage of fish, which could result in
declining fish stocks in the Mekong. Large numbers of Cambodians rely on fish
catches in the Tonle Sap for their livelihood.
Vietnamese environmentalists have
expressed concerns about downstream sediment flow, saying construction of the
dam will result in less sediment. Vietnamese farmers in the Mekong Delta depend
on sediment as a natural fertiliser for rice cultivation.
Viraphonh said that after
completing a review of concerns over the impacts of the dam, the two consulting
companies have proposed solutions to address the concerns over sediment flow
and fish passage.
After a half-day presentation in
Luang Prabang, tour participants will be taken to the site of the planned
Xayaboury dam so they can see the latest developments for themselves.
Some international news agencies
have reported that Laos has already begun construction of the dam, despite
having promised it would not build the dam until it formulates measures to
address the concerns of environmentalists.
Viraphonh said the government had
not yet built the dam on the Mekong mainstream and was hosting the tour to
allow the international community to see that Laos never breaks a promise.
He said road building and
resettlement of communities from the planned site was ongoing but explained
that these activities would not have any negative impact on the Mekong River.
The government will not begin
construction of the dam until it is convinced that it has addressed the
concerns of environmentalists and Mekong member countries, Viraphonh said.
Under an agreement made with the
MRC in 1995, Laos must hold consultations with other MRC countries before
starting the construction of any dam on the mainstream Mekong. Viraphonh said
that although the consultation process had been completed, Laos had not yet
begun construction because it wanted to give friendly countries the chance to
comment on how the potential impacts of the dam could be addressed.
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