PlanetArk 7 Mar 08;
BEIJING - China's southwestern province of Yunnan is still hoping to build controversial dams and hydropower plants on the upper reaches of the Salween River, a senior official said on Thursday, despite environmental concerns.
Premier Wen Jiabao in 2004 ordered an environmental study of the proposed dams on the river known in China as the Nu, after environmental officials and scientists mobilised opposition to the plans.
At that time, many critics of the project -- which is near a World Heritage site, leading the United Nations to express concern -- assumed it was entirely dead.
But Yunnan officials eager to promote economic growth, and energy officials eager to slake China's thirst for electricity, have continued to promote the dams.
Bai Enpei, Yunnan's Communist Party boss, told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of China's annual meeting of parliament that the dams would bring much needed income to the area, which in turn would help environmental protection.
"We are actively pushing the development of hydropower plants, including on the Nu River," he said. "But their construction must take into account those downstream. And the environment must protected. The people must also benefit.
"Some oppose and some support the Nu River projects. I am on the supporting team," Bai added.
"If you have never been, you would wonder how you could build dams in such a beautiful area. But that's not the case. It's in a remote border area, and the trees around have almost all been felled. Only if there is economic development can there be money to protect the environment," he said.
"So building dams is good for both the local people and the environment," Bai added.
Environmental groups say the projects would displace ethnic minority peoples, destroy a unique ecosystem and affect people living downstream in Myanmar and Thailand.
Many other Chinese dam projects have become mired in controversy, not least the massive Three Gorges Dam, where Chinese officials have said areas around it were paying a heavy, potentially calamitous environmental cost.
Bai said work still needed to be done to convince Myanmar about the dams, but he didn't think that would be a problem.
Persuading environmental groups to drop their opposition could be a harder task, he admitted, but added he thought it unfair not to bring development to the local people.
"You cannot expect the people of the Nu River to keep wearing animal skins and bring in everyone to have a look in the name of ecotourism," Bai said. "They also have the right to exist, and to development."
The government would ensure that money earned from the power produced would be ploughed back into the community, he added, although critics say the power generated will be shipped off to factories and developments in more prosperous provinces.
"We have to do this, not only for the Nu River, but for other rivers too," Bai said, refering to the plan to spend a proportion of the hydroplants' income on local people.
But Beijing will only sign off on the scheme if the province can show it has consulted widely, including with Myanmar and non-governmental bodies, he said.
"We will step up work in this regard," Bai added, though he said he did not know when construction might start.
(Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Story by Ben Blanchard
