Home » Region » Page 878

Category: Region

Selected environmental stories from media outlets in the Mekong region and beyond.

Coal-fired power plants threaten Vietnam deltas

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

Vietnam’s plan to take its total number of coal-fired power plants to 31 by 2020 has raised environmental concerns.

To minimize costs and the loss of electrical power during transmission, thermal power plants in Vietnam are usually built near large economic centers of the country’s Red River Delta and Mekong Delta regions, where electricity usage is at its highest.

Environmental hazards caused by these types of power plants came to the fore in April 2015, when coal ashes from Vinh Tan 2 Thermal Power Station in Binh Thuan Province spread to nearby residential areas due to low levels of air humidity.

Ticking water time bombs in hydropower plants?

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

A tunnel break in the Song Bung 2 hydroelectric power plant in the central province of Quang Nam released nearly 30 million cubic metres of water that rushed to thousands of villagers living downstream, killing two, and caused at least VND5 billion of losses. The latest incident raised alarms about whether the hydropower plants in Viet Nam meet safety requirements, especially when the Song Bung 2 had already passed the highest examination bars.

The Song Bung 2 hydropower incident washed away two people, one of who is still missing, and local residents cannot shake off the horrifying thought that they, too, might have been among the dead.

KNLA: Current Military Movement in Karen State Threatens Terms of NCA

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

Military activity and tension at the site of the Hat Gyi dam in Karen State threatens a breakdown of Burma’s nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) as concerns grow over potential clashes between the Burma Army and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).

The KNLA is the largest ethnic Karen armed group and the military wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), which signed the NCA with the previous government in 2015.

Renewable energy gains offer us a cleaner future

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

China has made a number of significant steps towards building a future of more sustainable energy.

President Xi Jinping has made good on his commitment to increase the supply of renewable energy at the climate change conference in Paris last year, a time when the toxic smog choking streets in Beijing and Shanghai was making global headlines. I wrote about this at the time in my column “China’s energy paradox”.

Vietnam province scraps coal plant over environmental concerns

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

The Mekong Delta’s Bac Lieu Province scrapped plans for a coal-fired thermal power plant to pursue clean-energy options, last week.

The provincial government has requested permission to withdraw from the project to build wind turbines. Bac Lieu is currently home to one of Vietnam’s three wind power plants, the other two are located in Binh Thuan Province just north of the tourist town Mui Ne.

Risks from Mekong River water transfer

By Paritta Wangkiat

Mekong River originates from China and flows through six countries, of which Vietnam is located in the lower part. In recent times, many hydropower dams have risen upstream, making 55% of the river length into a reservoir blocking the water flow further downstream.

The pressure in terms of water on the Mekong River downstream region is growing ever bigger when the water transfer projects to dry regions have been set up.

Regional NGOs meet in Myanmar to improve community involvement in infrastructure decisions

By Nantiya Tangwisutijit

This week, 50 representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the Mekong region met in Myanmar to share successes and challenges in effectively involving local communities in environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes.

At the “Community Engagement in Environmental Impact Assessment: A Regional Exchange and Learning Forum” in Yangon, participants explored approaches to helping communities constructively engage with businesses and government to ensure sustainable and equitable development in the context of increasing infrastructure investment in the region, according to a press release September 23.