Fishermen beg: Stop building dams in the Mekong
I feel sorry for the fishermen who depend on the Mekong River for their livelihood. Their main livelihood is threatened by the construction of dams by Laos.
Yesterday they called on the government of Laos to halt construction and first to conduct an extensive study of the ecological consequences. A nice initiative, but I don't think it will succeed.
Two dams are already under construction: the Xayaburi dam and the Don Sahong dam. Laos wants to build a total of twelve, both in the main river and tributaries. The dams, according to the Tonle Sap Fisher Network, will seriously damage fish stocks in the Great Tonle Sap Lake, on which four million Cambodians depend for their livelihoods.
Long Sochet, leader of the network, says the Don Sahong dam will block a vital route fish follow to spawn in the lake and tributaries of the Mekong in Thailand and Vietnam.
“The habitat of the river fauna and fishing villages along the Mekong will be completely destroyed when the dams are built,” he says. 'Fishing is all we can do. We understand that energy is important, but we don't need energy. If there are dams in the river, we cannot live. The Laos government must stop and the financial institutions must stop giving it money to kill us.'
The network is not only appealing to Laos and the financiers, but is also asking the governments of the other Mekong countries to withdraw their support for Laos' dam plans.
Fishermen and charities in Cambodia will file a complaint about a Malaysian power plant with the Human Rights Commission in Malaysia. The company commissioned an environmental study of the Don Sahong dam without consulting the villagers affected by the construction.
Cambodian community leaders from fishing villages are currently on a field trip to Ubon Ratchathani to study the impact of the construction of the Pak Moon dam on local Thai fishing villages. Sompong Vienchan, who lives near the dam, says the construction of dams in the Mekong means the end of fishing.
(Source: Bangkok Post, Sept. 18, 2014)
Photo homepage: Xayaburi dam under construction.