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Southeast Asia may become over the next
two decades the most active region of dam-building in the world
(See list of proposed projects in McCully, Silenced Rivers.)
Particularly in the Mekong basin, numerous projects are now being
discussed. At the same time, in some nations in this region,
particularly Thailand, there has been active opposition to dams,
leading to the cancellation of certain projects. The region therefore
provides numerous opportunities to study the dynamics of dam
controversies, particularly in terms of comparison with projects
in Malaysia.
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"The Mekong is the hearth and soul of Indochina. From
its headwaters on the Tibetan Plateau, it runs south through
China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. It is the
world's tenth longest river and supports the world's second most
diverse riverine fishery. With military tensions easing, the
Mekong is fast becoming a dam-buiilders paradise. More than 100
dams are proposed. The centerpiece is a ten-dam scheme proposed
for the river's mainstem. Sixty dams are proposed for Laos alone.
The Nam Theun 2 Dam in Laos will inundate part of the Nakai Plateau,
an area of extensive biological diversity and recommended for
protection by conservation groups worldwide, even by the Bank's
own Global Environment Facility. Although there is a newly established
agreement for the sustainable development of the Mekong, and
international interests in assisting the Mekong countries in
implementing sound river management practices, dam construction
and project proposals continue at a feverish pace."
The International Rivers Network
has identified projects in the Mekong Basin as of special concern
(description from www.irn.org): |
Sources:
o Pearce,
Fred, The Dammed, pp. 262-267. "Potential and planning priorities
in the Lower Mekong Basin," Hydropower & Dams, 1995,
March: 92-95.
o Rigg, Jonathan, "Thailand's
Nam Choan Dam project: a case study in the 'greening' of South-East
Asia," Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters, 1991,
1: 42-54. [Reviews the cancellation of a dam project, and the
role of environmentalism in this.]
o Sluiter,
Liesbeth, The Mekong Currency, (Bangkok: Project for Ecological
Recovery/TERRA, 1992). |