Straits Times 29 Mar 08;
But critics say tapping river for hydropower threatens its ecology and lifeline of millions
HANOI - THE Mekong River, the world's 12th largest waterway crossing six countries, may soon be tamed by a cascade of mega dams.
However, critics say the plan will harm the fish stocks on which millions of people rely.
Plans for a series of Mekong mainstream dams have been made and scrapped several times since the 1960s.
But now, with oil priced above US$100 (S$138) a barrel, the projects look more appealing than ever to their proponents.
The river's future will be a key issue when prime ministers of the Mekong countries meet tomorrow and on Monday in Laos' capital, Vientiane, for a summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), with the Asian Development Bank.
The 4,800km river originates in the Tibetan plateau of China, where it is called the Lancang, before running through Yunnan province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam into the South China Sea.
To the pro-development lobby, the Mekong is a dream of hydropower potential for an energy-hungry region.
To environmentalists, it is a nightmare.
Laos, Cambodia and Thailand have all allowed Chinese, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese companies to study at least seven mainstream hydropower projects.
Mr Carl Middleton of environmental watchdog International Rivers said the projects on the drawing board were a serious threat to the river's ecology and the millions who depend on it for water, food, income and transport.
'By changing the river's hydrology, blocking fish migration and affecting the river's ecology, the construction of dams on the Lower Mekong mainstream will have repercussions throughout the entire basin,' he said.
Many of the river's tributaries have already been dammed, including several in Laos, which plans to ramp up hydropower exports to its more industrialised neighbours Thailand and Vietnam.
Only China has so far dammed the mainstream, at Manwan and Dachaoshan in Yunnan.
It is already building three more dams and is planning three others.
China's existing dams, along with the blasting of rapids to allow all-year navigation, have angered Thai and Laotian villagers. They claim they have suffered declining fish quantities and unnatural fluctuation in water levels.
Mekong expert Milton Osborne said the seven new projects being considered in Laos would affect fish catches.
'These catches are vital for the populations of Laos and Cambodia but also for Vietnam,' he noted.
In the Mekong delta, Vietnam's main rice basket, officials say upstream water extraction for farm irrigation has already led to oceanic salt water intrusion, which has destroyed fields.
China's Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei, however, has said: 'China, as an upstream country, will never do anything that will harm the interests of downstream countries.'
While damming the Mekong could prove to be a touchy issue at the coming GMS summit, the meeting could also see the six Mekong countries work on closer integration as they discuss topics such as new transport corridors and a regional power grid.
Six premiers are expected to attend the mostly closed-door summit - China's Wen Jiabao, Thailand's Samak Sundaravej, Vietnam's Nguyen Tan Dung, Cambodia's Hun Sen, Myanmar's Thein Sein and the Laotian host, Mr Bouasone Bouphavanh.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
