VietNamNet Bridge – A lot of hydropower plant projects have
been implemented in Sa Pa town, a well-known tourism site, threatening to put
the wonderful landscape into oblivion.
Five hydropower plant projects
would be considered a small number if noting that there are 123 hydropower
plants in the whole northern province of Lao Cai. However, the noteworthy thing
is that all the five plants are located on the Muong Hoa valley, which would
tear the beautiful land.
A hydropower plant would arise
amid the national relic – the Su Pan 1 plant in Sa Pa district would be set up
on the Sa Pa ancient rock area, which was recognized as a national relic in
1994.
The project had been approved by
most of the relevant state agencies before it was consulted with the Lao Cai
Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
However, since the department is
now powerful enough, it has to entreat help from the Ministry of Culture, Sports
and Tourism. Over the last year, culturists and environmentalists have been
struggling hard to request to stop building a hydropower plant in the area.
However, they have been facing a
lot of barriers during the struggle. The investor has committed that the
project would not damage any rock of the relic. Meanwhile, the department
believes that it’s necessary to anticipate the impacts on the relic and the
environment. And historians have warned that the construction of hydropower
plant dam may sink the unexcavated rocks
Even after a fact finding trip to
the area, expected to become the construction site, was organized in
mid-August, the involved parties still keep arguing violently about whether to
set up a power plant on the site.
Pham Hai Ha, General Director of
the Viet Long Industrial Company, the investor of the Su Pan 1 hydropower
plant, has stated on Tuoi tre newspaper that the company would sue the local
department of culture, tourism and sports, if the company cannot build up a
power plant here as previously scheduled.
“We have not done any harm to
your rocks at all. We have spent tens of billions of dong, and now you tell us
to stop. Why didn’t you say so before?” he said violently, adding that if the
company brings the case to the court, the local department would lose the
lawsuit.
However, Tran Huu Son, Director
of the Lao Cai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said one should
anticipate that the power plant would damage the whole prosperous valley, while
this is not only the story of some ancient rocks.
“Tourists have left, foreign
experts have given warnings, but hydropower plants still have arisen,” Son
complained.
“When we ask to reconsider the
project, the Industry and Trade Department expressed its dissatisfaction, the
people’s committee has shown its unpleasant attitude while the investor has
hated us,” he added. Meanwhile, there has been no reliable scientific argument
which can be sure that the project would not harm the beautiful landscape and
the environment.
Power plant arises, tourism industry would disappear
Hydropower plants have become the
obsession not only of the Sa Pa ancient rock areas, but also of the tourism
villages.
The tourism department has
released a report showing that the number of visitors to the land areas where
there are hydropower plants such as Ta Van and Ban Ho has dropped dramatically
by 80 percent in comparison with 2006, the time when the first hydropower
plants were built.
An ninh thu do has reported that
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has requested local authorities to check
the program on hydropower plant development in the localities and eliminate the
projects which have bad impacts on the environment.
Compiled by Thanh Mai
Business & Investment Opportunities
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