The giant dam is one of the most controversial construction projects in Cambodia. The electricity-generation potential of the Lower Sesan 2 is massive but, for the Mekong River’s aquatic life and nearby villagers, the price of such progress could be colossal. This photo essay explores the issues.
Tag: dams
Myitsone Dam, Kachin Conflict under Spotlight in New Film
A new documentary film premiering in Rangoon this weekend offers a view into the social upheaval and dislocation caused by the Myitsone Dam project in Kachin State.
Produced over four years, including months embedded in the now largely abandoned Tang Hpre village in the dam’s catchment area, Dams, Drugs and Democracy charts community opposition to the dam before and after President Thein Sein announced the controversial megaproject’s suspension in 2011.
Dams, Drugs and Democracy’s message resonates with packed audiences
In its first weekend of public screenings, the documentary Dams, Drugs and Democracy The Struggle for Resources in Kachin State, Myanmar has enjoyed full houses and surging interest in the controversy it presents – the Myitsone Dam project at the head of the Ayeyarwady River.
Mekong Dams Could Halve Fish Stocks: Study
Fish stocks in the Mekong River in Cambodia and the Vietnamese Delta could be halved if 11 planned hydropower dams go ahead, according to the preliminary results of an extensive study funded by the Vietnamese government.
Presented at a regional conference on water, food and energy in the Mekong River Basin, the study’s results are an in-depth look into what environmental groups and fisheries experts have been warning for years: that damming the Mekong extensively will have drastic impacts on one of the world’s most important aquatic ecosystems.
Letters From The Mekong: Time For A New Narrative On Mekong Hydropower
This issue brief – the second in Stimson’s “Letters from the Mekong” series – examines the current status of mitigation efforts at Laos’ Xayaburi and Don Sahong dam projects and the relevance of the existing narrative surrounding hydropower development on the river’s mainstream. Based on extensive research on the status and expected impacts of these projects, the authors of this brief have concluded that the current narrative of inevitability surrounding the future of the Mekong is increasingly at odds with what is in fact a very fluid situation. Instead of being the first two of up to nine or eleven mainstream “dominos” to fall, these commercial-opportunity projects are likely to face significantly increasing political and financial risks and uncertainties.
How social can Chinese hydropower dams be?
How dam construction companies deal with the social and environmental impacts of their projects comes down to more than just their own policies, write Johan Nordensvard and Frauke Urban.
Why a tree falls in Brazil when a dam is built in the Mekong
Not only does hydropower development along the Mekong impact on food security, it also pushes land-use changes in other parts of the world. This was shown by visiting researcher Jamie Pittock in a recent Water Dialogues seminar.
Why the Mekong River Commission May Be In Peril
The fallout from the Great Fall in financial markets, equities and currencies is ricocheting through the regional economy and beginning to exact a toll – initially among badly-run companies and poorly-managed government institutions.
New report highlights ‘devastating human cost’ of Upper Paunglaung Dam project
A report released on October 5 details human rights violations committed by the Myanmar government in the development of the Upper Paunglaung Dam project in southwest Shan State.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), Land in Our Hands (LIOH) and Kayan New Generation Youth (KNGY) jointly published the report which found that households were subject to forced displacement by the government, experienced an increase in poverty and reported food security issues, water shortages, mental health issues and suicides.
Dam Fuels Desperation on Banks of Se San River
Chea Vannak A hand-painted sign nailed to a tree at the entrance of Sre Ko village along the southern banks of the Se San River in Stung Treng province greets visitors with a disturbing message – one made even more alarming by the seemingly tranquil environment and the slow-moving river. “Dare to die in village […]