The Hinboun River, Laos (Vinya Sysamouth)
Laos
is a place of remarkable beauty, world-renowned biodiversity and abundant natural resources. The country is traversed by a thousand rivers that teem with life: people fishing, gardening and washing clothes; children swimming, laughing and playing; and water buffalo wading in the mud. This vast Lao river network also plays an essential role in the Mekong Basin, contributing 35 percent of the Mekong River's flow.
But these rivers that are the lifeline of rural communities and local economies may soon be blocked, diverted and decimated by dams, according to a new report from International Rivers. The Lao government hopes to transform the country into “the battery of Southeast Asia” by exporting the power
generated by numerous hydroelectric projects. The companies and investors driving the current Lao hydro-boom hail from Thailand, China, Vietnam and Malaysia, though the World Bank, the Asian Development
Bank and companies from Japan,
France, Norway and Belgium remain on the scene. The
Lao power development plan contains 55 new large dams, 7 of which are
under construction and nearly 15 more at advanced planning stages (see map and table).
Lao rivers and lands are also threatened
by mining, rampant logging and large plantations. These destructive
developments are often linked: forests are cleared for plantations,
mines and hydro reservoirs; and hydropower is generated to fuel mining
operations. Most of Lao hydropower, gold, copper, timber and rubber is
shipped to Thailand, Vietnam and China.
In 2005, Laos adopted a National Policy on the Environmental and Social Sustainability of
the Hydropower Sector, but the policy has yet to be implemented. In a
country with no free press, no independent civil society organizations, and ranked as one of the world's ten most corrupt by Transparency International, dams have left a legacy of broken promises and uncompensated losses. As
a result, tens of thousands of Laotians lack sufficient food to eat, clean
water to drink and income to meet basic needs.
International
Rivers works to stop destructive hydropower projects in Laos and
advocates for the rights of communities affected by dams, such as Nam Theun 2,
Theun-Hinboun, Nam Leuk and Nam Song.
LATEST ADDITIONS:
Paying Southeast Asia's Power Bill
The Sleeping Dragon Awakes: China's hydropower developers in SE Asia
Lao Dams Muddying the Waters
Laos dams threaten homes, incomes and fish, say campaigners
Khone Falls: Soul of the Mekong
CONTACT US:
Shannon Lawrence
shannon [at] internationalrivers [dot] org
+1-202-664-4616
Aviva Imhof
aviva [at] internationalrivers [dot] org
+1 510 848 1155