The US supported the postponement of the construction of the Lao hydroelectric dam

The US State Department yesterday said Washington welcomed the postponement of Laos' Xayaburi dam construction on the Mekong River, and hoped Southeast Asian countries would cooperate to ensure that the dam construction project is not harmful to the environment.

>> Experts call on Laos to abandon hydroelectric dams

Cambodian fishermen are about to release an oil catfish they caught on the Mekong River. Conservationists worry that the Xayaburi dam project will threaten the survival of this giant freshwater fish. Photo: National Geographic.

' The US government welcomes the recognition of the need for a comprehensive assessment of the economic, environmental and social impacts of the dam project. We support countries to continue to work together to realize the vision of a Mekong river basin that is economically, equitably equitable and environmentally sustainable , ' AFP quoted a paragraph in the statement. of the US Department of State.

Senator Jim Webb, head of the East Asia subcommittee of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is putting pressure on the US government to play a more active role in opposing the Xayaburi dam project. Webb believes that the project will cause "disastrous consequences" for the region.

Location of hydropower dam projects (red spots) on the mainstream in the lower Mekong region. Graphic: Dao Trong Tu.

At the April 19 meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), countries agreed to bring the Xayaburi issue to consultations at ministerial level in November. Vietnam and Cambodia both affirmed that technical research, environmental impacts and people's livelihoods from the Xayaburi dam project are more specific.

Xayaburi, located in northern Laos, is the first of 12 projects to be built on the mainstream of the Mekong. The Mekong River flows from China through 4 countries including Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Experts calculate that the presence of the Xayaburi dam will make the number of alluvial Mekong Delta decrease from 26 million tons / year to about 7 million tons / year. It also reduces the number of fish species, negatively affecting aquatic species and the biodiversity of the Mekong River and surrounding areas.