Mekong `hydro diplomacy’ falling short

 

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/320613/mekong-hydro-diplomacy-falling-short

Experts at a conference in Chiang Rai held out hope that future transborder water conflicts such as the one over Laos’ Xayaburi dam will be dealt with in a more inclusive and sustainable manner, but the concept is still in its infancy in the region

• Published: 11/11/2012 at 02:15 AM
• Newspaper section: News

In a conference room in Chiang Rai recently, more than 100 water experts from around the world put their heads together to try to find new approaches to dealing with transborder water issues more effectively. Jargon flew about the room, especially the term “hydro diplomacy”. Not surprisingly, a topic on everyone’s lips was the Xayaburi dam project in in Laos, where last Wednesday, despite strong protests from locals and environmentalists and unsettled points of contention among Mekong River Commission (MRC) member states, Laos suddenly proceeded with a ground-breaking ceremony at the construction site to mark the official start of the project.

At the conference, Dr Robert Marther, with the  International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said the Xayaburi dam project has shown that a shared vision on water resources does not exist in the Mekong region. Each country still looks out only for its own interests and not at sharing benefits in development opportunities.

“If we apply the concept of hydro diplomacy to the Mekong situation, we may have more choices other than negotiations on ambitions to build a dam…” said Mr Marther. He defined hydro diplomacy as a negotiation among riparian countries to achieve shared benefits. The dialogue needs to be inclusive, embracing all concerned stakeholders and all sectors to achieve a sustainable goal. In hydro diplomacy, a negotiation platform, generally a river basin organisation, has a crucial role in bringing about a consensus among the stakeholders. In the Mekong region, the MRC acts as the negotiation platform. However, said Dr Marther, something is apparently missing from the current mechanism of the MRC.

As water issues, especially those with  transborder elements, grow more complex, conventional solutions are proving insufficient. Aban Marker Kabraji, IUCN Asia’s regional director, reiterated this point during her talk at the conference, saying that it is clear that a traditional approach is not robust enough to address transboundary water use issues.

She said new concepts are needed as is greater scientific knowledge.

“Hydro diplomacy calls on scientific and technical experts to work hand-in-hand with national and local politicians, decision makers and stakeholders to reach negotiated agreements for solutions that can be implemented and which will endure,”said Mrs Kabraji.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former governor of India’s West Bengal state, said that in water disputes there are too many stakeholders, with each lobbying for their own vested interests. Therefore the process of creating a dialogue on transborder water issues requires, along with technological expertise, “socio-psychological sensitivity”, as well as counter-lobbying skills and political courage. Even with all this, the proper dialogue can only be achieved after what he called the “ right diplomatic initiative”.

Hans Guttman, chief executive officer of the MRC, said the organisation has been implementing hydro diplomacy in its processes, under which the member countries are brought together to discuss important issues with the MRC acting as the facilitator and providing technical support. “When there are competing demands and different opinions about impacts, technical support may be able to move the discussion forward,” said Mr Guttman on the sidelines of the conference.

“I think there are a lot of discussions among the governments about the Xayaburi dam, and there are a lot of diplomatic discussions. The Lao government is trying to address concerns. At the end a political decision will be made,” added Mr Guttman.

However, Mr Marther again voiced reservations on whether the current mechanism is able to deal with the rising challenges in the region. He said that although the MRC has successfully facilitated a process to implement  hydro diplomacy, it is not yet sufficient to pave the way for a true consensus on holistic water management. International water management forums elsewhere have developed international agreements which can be enforced on parties, and in some cases water conflicts are even put before the courts, said Mr  Marther, adding that nothing like this is happening in the Mekong region.

Mr Marther suggested it may be time for the region to try other options in dealing with transborder water issues. As Asean countries are integrating, with stronger enforcement mechanisms for joint resolutions, it is possible the MRC could be upgraded and made a part of Asean to strengthen its mandate.

“The challenge is that our current mechanism is limited. So, [the question is] whether or not we should have a new mechanism and what it should be,” said Mr Marther. “The current mechanism focuses mainly on the water aspect and fails to integrate other factors such as economy, which can also have impacts on water management. Without integration and holistic methods, water management will never work,” he said.

About the author

Writer: Piyaporn Wongruang

Position: Reporter

Vietnam drops objections to Laos dam on Mekong and Thailand do not opposed Xayaburi Dam

SALON

Vietnam drops objections to Laos dam on Mekong

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source: http://www.salon.com/2012/11/08/vietnam_drops_objections_to_laos_dam_on_mekong/

By Associated Press

Thursday, Nov 8, 2012 04:45 AM EST

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

Laos officials reportedly said this week that construction of the Xaburi dam was going ahead.

Vietnam last year proposed a 10-year moratorium on any dams on the Mekong and has expressed concern that the dam would kill fish and affect livelihoods along its stretch of the river.

Foreign ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi said Thursday that Laos had decided to build the 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

—-

The Thais, meanwhile, have reinforced their support for the project, albeit in an understated way, when the foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said on Tuesday that “the Thai government is not opposed to the project.”

The Xayaburi dam is a joint venture between Thai companies CH Karnchang, PTT and a state-owned enterprise. Thailand is expected to import around 90 per cent of the power generated by the dam when it is completed in 2019.

Despite rising demand in the region for electricity, particularly renewables, previous investments in hydropower have not always been successful. The Mun River dam in northern Thailand, on a Mekong tributary, went over-budget when it was built in the 1990s and caused widespread environmental damage for little benefit to investors.

Laos clearly has ambitions to be a regional electricity exporter and much foreign investment is being attracted for building projects, but opposition groups may find it difficult in a region where securing economic growth is a priority not easily curbed. In the immediate future, the profits may roll in for Laos, but the eventual price may be much higher.  See reported from Bangkok Post below:

—-

Thai govt suports Xayaburi dam

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/319838/thailand-backs-xayaburi-dam

• Published: 6/11/2012 at 04:58 PM
• Online news: Local News

The Thai government on Tuesday supported Vientiane’s decision to begin immediate construction of the controversial Xayaburi hydropower dam on the lower Mekong River – which downstream communities and environmentalists have strongly opposed.

”The Thai government is not opposed to the project,” said Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichachaikul, speaking at the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Vientiane, Laos.

”The Lao government has already conducted studies that show there would be no impact on the environment and fisheries,” Mr Surapong said.

Laos will hold a ground-breaking ceremony on Wednesday in Xayaburi province to mark the start of riverbed construction on the 120-billion-baht project.

The date was chosen to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, still a significant date in communist Laos which used to be a member of the Soviet bloc, government sources said.

In December, members of the Mekong River Commission’s council, consisting of water and environment ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, urged a delay to allow further studies on how to mitigate the environmental impact of the dam, the first proposed for the lower Mekong.

In response, Laos and its chief partner in the project, Thailand’s Ch Karnchang Plc, agreed to spend an additional 100 million dollars to revamp the design of a fish ladder and sediment flow gates.

Lao Deputy Energy and Mines Minister Viraphonh Viravong said the redesign has satisfied all parties, including Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

”There is no need for their formal approval,” Mr Viraphonh said of Laos’ neighbours that share the Mekong as a valuable natural resource. So far, only Thailand has openly expressed its support of the project.

In the past, the Xayaburi project faced strong opposition from neighbouring governments and environmentalist groups who raised questions about its impact on sediment flows downstream and fish migration.

The lower Mekong Basin has a fisheries sector worth an estimated 78 billion baht per year.

“The food security and jobs of millions of people in the region are now on the line,” said Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia program director for International Rivers.

“Laos has never even collected basic information about the ways that people depend on the river, so how can it say that there will be no impacts?” Ms Trandem said.

Ultimately, the decision to go ahead with the project lies with Laos, as the dam site is in Lao territory.

”Laos wants to build the Xayaburi dam to increase it’s electricity exports to Thailand,” Mr Surapong said. ”That’s what Laos wants, and the dam is inside Lao territory.”

The country already has 13 hydroelectric plants in operation with a total capacity for 3,000 megawatts.

The Xayaburi project, to be operational by 2019, will be one of its largest, with more than 90% of its electricity to be exported to neighbouring Thailand.

About the author

Writer: dpa