Laos: Mekong giant catfish, other species threatened by Laos dam

Mekong giant catfish, other species threatened by Laos dam

February 6, 2013 2:12 pm

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Photo: EPA

A planned dam on the Mekong River in Laos promises to disrupt the reproductive cycle of the giant catfish, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, but experts disagree on how best to help it.

The Xayaburi hydroelectric dam will stand in the way of the Pangasianodon gig as, thought to migrate hundreds of kilometres from the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia to spawn near Chiang Khong in northern Thailand, after passing through Xayaburi province in northern Laos.

Cambodia and Vietnam, downstream of the project, have expressed concern over potential impact on fish migration and sediment flows.

Both countries have urged that the 3.5-billion-dollar dam – the first on the Lower Mekong – be postponed until the impact has been thoroughly evaluated.

Studies are underway, but Laos and its Thai partners are proceeding with construction, scheduled for completion in 2019.

The design includes a fish ladder: a series of watery shelves alongside the dam that allow migrating species to make their way upstream and past the obstacle.

But experts fear the giant catfish, which can grow to 3 metres and300 kilograms, will be unable to use it.

“Giant catfish need deep water to migrate,” Naruepon Sukumasavin, fisheries ecology expert at Thailand’s Department of Fisheries, said. “It will be impossible for the catfish to pass.” Lao officials claim to have adapted the design for larger fish.

“A lot of experts suggested that giant catfish move at the bottom of the river, and thus migration, if any, would be at the bottom of the Mekong and that’s why a fish lift was added to the system,” said Viraphonh Viravong, vice minister of energy and mines.

Fish lifts are located in the centre of the waterway, and work by mechanically hoisting the fish in a container of water to the top ofthe dam.

“I don’t think it will work,” said Naruepon. “It’s not like salmon that come thousands at a time. The giant catfish comes one or two at most, and how are you going to get it in the lift?” Experts say they still know very little about the migratory or mating habits of the giant catfish. But they agree the critically endangered species is vulnerable to changes in its habitat.

The population in the Mekong River has fallen 90 per cent over the past 50 years, due mainly to over fishing, according to Zeb Hogan, a large-fish expert at University of Nevada in the United States.

“The Mekong giant catfish is one of the most, if not the most, vulnerable to dams like the Xayaburi,” Hogan said.

Its sensitivity makes it a litmus test for other species in the river, ranked as the world largest inland fishery with a harvest of2.5 million tonnes annually, valued at about 3.6 billion dollars.

“The very real danger is that the Mekong giant catfish is the tip of the extinction iceberg, and that populations of many other species, including the most important fisheries species, will decline as more and more dams are built on the mainstream Mekong,” Hogansaid.

In Thailand, the fisheries department has had a successful breeding programme with catfish caught at Chiang Khong since 1984.

Over the past three decades, it has restocked the species in the kingdom’s reservoirs, rivers, lakes and even fish-farms.

Unlike Cambodia and Laos, where it is illegal to catch or eat, the giant catfish features widely on Thai menus, although fishing it fromthe Mekong itself has been banned for the three years.

“There are plenty of giant catfish harvested, in fact, we have an over-supply,” Naruepon said. “Everyone eats the catfish lemon grass soup, and fried spicy catfish.” But while the restocking program has succeeded, there is still no evidence that the giant catfish is reproducing naturally in the new habitats, and conservationists remain skeptical.

“The major flaw of nearly all captive breeding programs is that they fail to restore wild populations in the absence of a more comprehensive plan, including restocking, fisheries management, maintenance of environmental flows, and habitat restoration,” Hogan said.

“In the absence of a healthy, well-managed river, most captive breeding programs are a short-term solution to avoid species extinction.”

Laos Finally Called Out over Xayaburi Dam

Laos Finally Called Out over Xayaburi Dam

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By Luke Hunt

January 23, 2013

Vietnam and Cambodia have finally found their voice. After months of obfuscating their position on the Lao government’s insistence on constructing the Xayaburi Dam and blocking the main stream of the Mekong River, leaders from both countries have pushed diplomatic niceties to the side and finally tackled Vientiane on the issue.

The refreshing shift in political tact came on the final day of a meeting among member countries in the Mekong River Commission (MRC), in which leaders from Vientiane could have been forgiven for thinking they had perhaps outfoxed their counterparts in Hanoi and Phnom Penh.

Laos reached an agreement with Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand more than a year ago to suspend construction of the U.S.$3.5 billion dam while independent studies were to be made on fish migration patterns and the possible threat posed by the dam to food security.

About 60 million people depend on the Mekong River for their livelihoods through a hand to mouth existence.

However, Vientiane ignored what amounted to a moratorium, Thai construction companies went to work immediately at the site and plans for further dams were released. Meanwhile, the Lao government insisted its citizens will prosper through the sale of electricity to neighboring countries produced by hydropower.

At last week’s MRC meeting, Cambodia demanded that all construction be immediately halted and argued that Laos had misinterpreted previous agreements. Meanwhile, Vietnam insisted that no dams be constructed until an agreed upon independent study is completed.

Lao Vice Minister of ­Energy and Mines Viraphonh Viravong attempted to defend his country’s stance, which seems to have the support of Thai construction companies, Chinese lenders and Lao politicians, but few others further afield.

Thai general contracting and infrastructure development group Ch Karnchang — through its 50 percent-owned subsidiary Xayaburi Power Co — has a 29-year concession to operate the dam’s 1,285 megawatt power plant, as well as assurances from Thailand that it will purchase about 95 percent of the electricity generated.

Cambodia and Vietnam are demanding a regional consensus before construction can start.

However, both countries have said little over recent months despite a steady flow of independent reports from Laos and comments made by Lao ministers indicating that the Lao government was proceeding with construction of the dam. In fact, building at the site began in November 2011.

Laos has faced unprecedented international scrutiny over the past year, initially with the Xayaburi Dam, then with its massive borrowing program primarily with China to fund an ambitious infrastructure program. Most recently, the country has come under scrutiny following last month’s disappearance of human rights activist Sombath Samphone.

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Related

Xayaburi Dam’s domino effect? The Interpreter

US urges Laos to address mega dam concerns

US urges Laos to address mega dam concerns

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(AFP)

WASHINGTON — The United States urged caution on plans by Laos to build a multimillion-dollar dam that has raised environmental concerns from neighboring nations, saying its impact was still “unknown.”

The $3.8 billion hydroelectric project at Xayaburi, led by Thai group CH Karnchang, has sharply divided the four Mekong nations — Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand — who rely on the river system for fish and irrigation.

“Our own experience has made us acutely aware of the economic, social and environmental impacts that large infrastructure can have over the long-term,” the State Department said in a statement that nonetheless recognized the “important role” dams can play in helping advance economic growth.

“The extent and severity of impacts from the Xayaburi dam on an ecosystem that provides food security and livelihoods for millions are still unknown.”

Laotian deputy energy minister Viraphonh Viravong earlier told AFP that the government would hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday and begin work on the dam later this week.

Building work on the main project has been stalled for about 18 months over concerns relating to its environmental impact.

Viraphonh said some aspects of the dam’s design had been changed to “reassure neighboring countries”, but he insisted that objections would not derail plans to finish the project by the end of 2019.

“We are concerned that construction is proceeding before impact studies have been completed,” the State Department said.

It urged stakeholders to voice their concerns through the Mekong River Commission, whose Mekong nation members have not reached consensus on whether the project should proceed.

The mooted 1,260 megawatt dam, the first of 11 on the key waterway, has become a symbol of the potential risks of hydropower projects in the region.

Communist Laos, one of the world’s most under-developed nations, believes the dam will help it become “the battery of Southeast Asia” by selling electricity to its richer neighbors.

“We have a strong interest in the sustainable management of the Mekong River, and we view our robust engagement as a sign of our strong commitment toward a lasting and positive relationship with the region,” the US statement said.

“We hope that the government of Laos will uphold its pledge to work with its neighbors in addressing remaining questions regarding Xayaburi. We encourage the MRC countries to continue to work together to realize their shared vision of an economically prosperous, socially just and environmentally sound Mekong River basin.”

Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.

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Vietnam drops objections to dam that Laos is building on the Mekong River

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By The Associated Press

November 8, 2012 3:20 AM

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnam has apparently dropped its objections to a dam that Laos is constructing on the Mekong River, saying Thursday that the neighbouring country has made changes in the design to mitigate any negative downstream impact.

Laos officials reportedly said this week that construction of the Xaburi dam was going ahead, and they took several journalists and diplomats to the site of the proposed dam on Southeast Asia’s mightiest river. Construction of approach roads and support buildings has already begun.

Vietnam and Cambodia last year proposed a 10-year moratorium on any dams on the Mekong. They have expressed concern that the dam would kill fish and affect the livelihoods of millions of people living along their stretches of the river, which begins in China and empties into the South China Sea

Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said Thursday that Laos had decided to build the $3.5 billion dam “after adjusting the project design to mitigate the impact on the downstream.”

The U.S. on Monday criticized the decision to go ahead with the dam, citing feared negative environmental impact downstream.

Opponents say the dam in central Laos would open the door for a building spree of as many as 10 other dams on the 3,000-mile-long (4,800-kilometre-long) river.

Laos is one of Asia’s poorest nations and hydropower is already a key source of revenue. The project will generate electricity for sale to neighbouring Thailand.

Not thing new to us about Lao PDR and Vietnam, we are already known it

Vietnam drops objections to Laos dam on Mekong

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AP /  November 8, 2012

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has apparently dropped its objections to a dam that Laos is constructing on the Mekong River, saying Thursday that the neighboring country has made changes in the design to mitigate any negative downstream impact.

Laos officials reportedly said this week that construction of the Xaburi dam was going ahead, and they took several journalists and diplomats to the site of the proposed dam on Southeast Asia’s mightiest river. Construction of approach roads and support buildings has already begun.

Vietnam and Cambodia last year proposed a 10-year moratorium on any dams on the Mekong. They have expressed concern that the dam would kill fish and affect the livelihoods of millions of people living along their stretches of the river, which begins in China and empties into the South China Sea

Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said Thursday that Laos had decided to build the $3.5 billion dam ‘‘after adjusting the project design to mitigate the impact on the downstream.’’

The U.S. on Monday criticized the decision to go ahead with the dam, citing feared negative environmental impact downstream.

Opponents say the dam in central Laos would open the door for a building spree of as many as 10 other dams on the 3,000-mile-long (4,800-kilometer-long) river.

Laos is one of Asia’s poorest nations and hydropower is already a key source of revenue. The project will generate electricity for sale to neighboring Thailand.

© Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.

Laos holds groundbreaking ceremony for contentious Mekong dam

 

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By Annie Chenaphun

XAYABURI, Laos | Wed Nov 7, 2012 6:37am EST

(Reuters) – Laos held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for a $3.5 billion hydropower dam on the Mekong River that is opposed by environmentalists and neighboring countries because of the possible impact on livelihoods, fisheries and agriculture.

“We had the opportunity to listen to the views and opinions of different countries along the river. We have come to an agreement and chose today to be the first day to begin the project,” Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad said at the site.

The poor Southeast Asian country has ambitions to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia” through power exports from dams across the 4,900 km (3,044 mile) Mekong.

However, after pressure from neighbors, it agreed to suspend the Xayaburi dam last December, pending a study led by Japan.

“Laos has made a misleading statement by saying it has already addressed environmental concerns, in an attempt to get support from the other governments. The studies that have been conducted are not yet finished,” said Kirk Herbertson, Southeast Asia coordinator for environmental group International Rivers.

Government officials from Cambodia and Vietnam, which have opposed the dam, did not respond to requests for comment

The groundbreaking ceremony, which normally celebrates the formal start of construction, went ahead the morning after 29 European and Asian states, among them critics of the dam, held a summit meeting in Laos’s capital, Vientiane.

Thai construction giant Ch Karnchang Pcl has been carrying out what it called preliminary work for nearly two years, with Lao officials repeatedly playing down the extent of the work. The dam had been scheduled to be built by 2019.

A Reuters journalist at the site on Wednesday said substantial construction had taken place, including access roads and work on the riverbanks, but nothing appeared to have been built on the river itself.

Herbertson said International Rivers had visited the site in June and noted work involving digging into the riverbed.

“The groundbreaking ceremony would be the start of building the first structure on the river, so this would be the beginning of blocking the river including fish and nutrients flowing down the river,” he said.

Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong was quoted by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday as saying the plans were still under study and that the day’s event was simply an organized visit for journalists, scientists and others.

However, a banner at the site described it as a groundbreaking ceremony.

Ecologists warn the livelihoods of 60 million people in the lower Mekong region, mainly in Cambodia and Vietnam, would be at risk if the dam went ahead as the design could block migratory routes of fish and deprive swathes of rice land of fertile silt.

“PLAYING ROULETTE WITH THE MEKONG”

They say environmental impact assessments by Laos were inadequate and meant to appease international critics, including the United States.

In Finland, at the urging of environmental groups, a government committee is looking into whether engineering firm Poyry followed international guidelines in work for the dam, Antti Riivari, a director at the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, said.

Activists say it gave misleading information about the dam’s potential impact in a report. They also say there is a conflict of interest since it is doing engineering work on the project. The company declined comment.

“Laos is playing roulette with the Mekong river, offering unproven solutions and opening up the Mekong as a testing ground for new technologies,” said Pianporn Deetes, Thailand Campaign Coordinator for International Rivers.

Mekong basin countries – Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia as well as Laos – are bound by a treaty to hold inter-governmental consultations before building dams.

But none has veto powers and Laos is within its rights to proceed with Xayaburi, the first of 11 hydropower dams planned in the lower Mekong that are expected to generate 8 percent of Southeast Asia’s power by 2025.

Thailand, another country affected by the dam, has refrained from criticizing Laos. It will buy about 95 percent of the power generated by the facility.

Ch Karnchang, Thailand’s second-biggest building contractor, has a 57 percent share in the project. State-owned Thai energy giant PTT Pcl has 25 percent and state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand 12.5 percent.

Early reports of the groundbreaking ceremony sent shares in Ch Karnchang up 5.7 percent on Monday to 9.3 baht, the highest since January 2011. They ended flat at 9.25 baht on Wednesday.

Ch Karnchang CEO Plew Trivisvavet defended the project.

“If this (would) badly affect the environment, we wouldn’t do it. This company wouldn’t do it. This is the company’s strongest policy,” he told Reuters at the site.

(Writing by Martin Petty in Vientiane; Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre in Bangkok and Terhi Kinnunen in Helsinki; Editing by Alan Raybould and Ron Popeski)

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