Vietnam worries about salinity because of Laos hydroelectricity

Vietnamese scientists are concerned that Laos' controversial hydropower dam will have a bad impact on the Mekong Delta.

The Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (Vusta) held a seminar on ' Xayaburi and Mekong River water' yesterday afternoon, a day before the countries of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) made construction decisions. Xayaburi dam in Laos.

Xayaburi in northern Laos, is the first of a total of 12 projects to be built on the mainstream of the Mekong, a large river full of silt and fish, flowing from China through four countries in the lower Mekong region including Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Location of the controversial project of Xayaburi hydroelectric dam in the Lower Mekong region.Graphics: NYT.

Ho Uy Liem, Vusta Standing Vice President, said that the construction of the Xayaburi Dam would put the Mekong Delta at risk. The area currently has nearly 20 million people, providing about 50% of rice, more than 70% of seafood and about 70% of fruit for Vietnam.

' Therefore, if building dams will directly affect the lives of people and future generations, threatening national and regional food security ,' Liem added.

Mr. Dao Trong Tu, former deputy secretary general of Vietnam Rivers Network (VRN), affirmed: ' If the Xayabouri dam is built, it will be a great fire for the construction of all other dams on the mainstream. downstream of the Mekong River '.

He also stressed that the construction of Xayaburi dam and 11 other terraces on the mainstream of the lower Mekong River will not bring any benefits to the Mekong Delta.

According to a report by the MRC Strategic Environmental Assessment team, the benefits that Vietnam enjoys from the Xayaburi Dam are very small compared to the losses we suffer, especially in the Mekong Delta region. heavy damage.

According to Mr. Tu, despite gaining 70% of electricity benefits (2.6 billion USD per year) from hydropower steps, Laos will be a country with many consequences. In fact, 25-30 years of BOT operation (construction - operation - transfer) are carried out by private investors or state and foreign corporations and therefore these organizations will no small benefit.

The Lao government enjoyed only 26-31% of its total revenue, about $ 676-806 million a year, said Tu.

As planned, Xayaburi and more than a dozen other planned dams are non-regulating dams, ie only for electricity generation, unable to regulate floods, not to regulate water sources as well as to cut down. flood in the rainy season and increase in dry season flow.

According to Mr. Tu, if building the Xayaburi dam, 55% of the Mekong mainstream will become a reservoir, permanently destroying the habitat and ecosystem of the Mekong River, endangering the rich flora and fauna here. , 41 species of fish will be in danger of extinction.

Specifically, the total amount of sediment of the Mekong River (about 165 million tons / year) will be retained by 50% by Chinese lakes and 25% by downstream hydropower dams, reducing fertility and nutrition of about 2.3 to 2.8 million hectares of agricultural land (mainly Cambodia and Vietnam). The amount of sediment to the Mekong Delta is currently about 26 million tons / year will reduce to 7 million tons / year.

The Mekong River, with hundreds of fish species, for hundreds of years is a lifeline to feed tens of millions of people on both sides of the river.Photo: NYT.

Research results of Master Nguyen Huu Thien, environmental expert of the International Fund for Nature Protection in Vietnam, Mekong Delta will lose from 220,000 to 440,000 tons of white fish migrating each year, equivalent to 0, 5 to 1 billion USD. Besides, a series of other impacts such as bottled land, ecological imbalance, freshwater with saline intrusion, lychee farmers.

VRN scientists say that there are many sustainable alternative energy solutions that can meet economic development, instead of developing hydropower on the mainstream of the Mekong.

At the seminar, Ms. P'Eang, co-director of Terra Thailand Ecological Recovery Fund , said that many organizations and scientists and Thai people voiced strong opposition to the construction of Xayaburi hydropower. In the past morning, 100 Thai people living along the middle of the Mekong River stood in front of the Lao embassy door to protest the construction.

Ms. Ame, Mekong Regional Advocate, international river organization, said that the environmental impact assessment reports (EIA) indicated that Laos did not need to urgently build Xayaburi hydropower, because it threatening the amount of aquatic life in the river, which threatens the food resources of tens of millions of people.

In an investigative report published on Sunday, the Bangkok Post reported the preparations for the Laos-promoted project "from 5 months ago", with large roads being excavated and excavated, leading into the area. The area is expected to build dams.

Today, the Mekong Commission will meet in Laos to decide whether to approve the construction of the Xayaburi hydroelectric dam, after six months of national consultations in each member country . The Commission's decision is not legally binding. Observers predict that if the Commission's decision does not satisfy Laos and investors, the case may be made an international committee, which has never been preceded.

Since 1995, the Mekong Commission countries agree that any country that wants to build dams on the Mekong River must go through consultations with related countries.

Regarding the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River including the Xayaburi Dam, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Nguyen Phuong Nga said:

Mr. Mekong is an international river that is very important for the socio-economic development, cultural and spiritual life of the people of riverside countries.

As a country along the Mekong River, Vietnam expects related countries to work closely in carefully studying the overall impact of hydropower projects on the Mekong mainstream before making a decision. deploy construction of these works.

The riparian countries need to work closely in exploiting and using equitably and rationally the resources, especially the Mekong River water, to protect the ecological environment, contributing to sustainable development. general stability of the entire Mekong basin and benefits all riparian countries and people living in this area. '