Lao Dam Tests Regional Cooperation

Lao Dam Tests Regional Cooperation

The Lao push to build a third dam on the Mekong River's mainstream presents
the latest test for cooperation in Southeast Asia as fears rise that the Pak
Beng dam will further damage the fragile ecosystem that some 60 million
people depend on for a living.

The proposed 912 megawatt Pak Beng dam in the northern province of Oudomxay
marks Vientiane's latest move as it attempts to make the impoverished
country the "battery of Asia" through construction of a series of
hydro-electric dams along the Mekong River and its tributaries.

Laos notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its intent to build the
dam Nov. 4, but it's unclear if the MRC has the power to address concerns
over the project.

With the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams, Laos went ahead with the projects
despite the objections from the other countries, scientists and
conservationists, and critics pummeled MRC for its inability to stem the
dam-building tide.

The MRC saw its funding drastically reduced as international donors
expressed their ire over what they saw as the commission's complicity in
Laos' head-long pursuit of an energy strategy that causes harm to its
neighbors.

Following the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dam debacle, the MRC was restructured
giving Vietnam more influence, but questions still remain over the
commission's ability to manage the resource.

"By allowing regional consultation to begin over the Pak Beng Dam before
addressing outstanding concerns around decision-making on Mekong dams, the
MRC risks history repeating itself at the expense of the Mekong River and
regional cooperation," the environmental non-government organization
International Rivers wrote in a press release.

International Rivers contends that the MRC's "prior consultation" process
fails to take into account the impact projects like the Pak Beng dam have on
communities that depend on the river.

"The procedure lacks clear requirements to ensure the meaningful
participation of affected communities and the public in the consultation
process," International Rivers said. "There is little transparency as to how
concerns are addressed and factored into decision-making."

Lessons learned

MRC Secretariat CEO Pham Tuan Phan said that the commission is up to the
task.

"We have learned lessons from the previous two cases," he said. "The
Secretariat is ready to assist the member countries to review the project,
assess technical aspects and come to a conclusion in an inclusive and
meaningful way."

A high-ranking MRC official defended the commission, telling RFA that the
organization follows the mandate given to it by the member countries.

"The MRC is not weak, but it just works under the 1995 agreement," said the
official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

On April 5, 1995, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam signed the Agreement
on Cooperation for Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin that
established the MRC as a platform for regional cooperation.

"Many people think the MRC has a mandate to decide whether or not a dam can
be built," said the official. "We don't have that mandate or that right. If
the country members want MRC have that mandate, they should change the
agreement."

While the MRC is often blamed for the multitude of woes that beset the
Mekong River, the official told RFA the commission is acting as it was
intended.

"Those who say MRC is meaningless don't have enough information or they are
just dead wrong," the official said. "Our job is to give information and
assessments. To build or not to build depends on the decision of the country
members."

Given the restrictive mandate placed on the MRC, the official told RFA the
commission plans to take quick action on Pak Beng dam.

"We want to get it done very quickly because we want to publish the
information about the possible impact from the dam; on how it will be built;
how it will impact positively and negatively; and how people will react,"
the official said.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/lao-dam-tests-regional-cooperation-1117
2016152013.html

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com