By Rainforest Rescue
The Mekong River and the millions of people it supports are in jeopardy. In the next few months, regional governments will decide whether to proceed with plans to build the Xayaburi Dam in northern Laos, the first of 11 dams planned for the Lower Mekong Mainstream.
In April, regional governments delayed a decision on the Xayaburi Dam, largely because of the huge public opposition to the dam expressed by civil society groups, NGOs and individuals throughout the region and the world. It is critical that we again make our voices heard.
In the past few months Laos has been working hard to push the Xayaburi Dam forward, and illegal construction on access roads and work camps is continuing.
A healthy Mekong River is vital to the lives of millions of people in the Mekong Region; it is the second most biodiverse river system in the world and is host to the world's most productive freshwater fishery. If the Xayaburi Dam is built it would open the floodgates for other mainstream dams, which would irreversibly alter the entire river ecosystem.
Since our big success in April in getting the four governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam to agree to defer the decision over whether or not to proceed with the Xayaburi Dam to a future Ministerial-level meeting, it appears Laos has been working hard behind the scenes to push this project forward. Mekong people need a strong statement that calls for this dam to be cancelled or at least delayed for ten years.
The Mekong River Commission MRC (of which Australia is a "development partner"), is an intergovernmental agency promoting since the 1950s hydro development along the mainstream.
Its four member countries are Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam, which are the lower Mekong governments. Despite its mandate to promote sustainable development of the Mekong River, the MRC has failed to adequately respond to the threat posed by Mekong mainstream dams.
Given the devastating risks posed by the dam and the need for further study, Vietnam has requested that decisions on all mainstream dams to be delayed for a minimum of 10 years. Likewise, the governments of Cambodia and Thailand have also requested a delay for further study and consultations.
Despite its neighbors' requests and its agreement to cooperate with other Mekong countries to protect the sustainability of the river, Laos has announced that they plan to begin constructing the dam by the end of the year.
The MRC is supported by international donor aid from countries like Germany, Australia, Denmark, the United States, Finland, France, Japan and Sweden, amongst others and institutions like the World Bank (http://www.mrcmekong.org/about-the-mrc/development-partners-and-partner-...).
We must act now to protect this vital life source for present and future generations.
Please sign the petition (click here) urging the governments of Laos and Thailand to cancel the Xayaburi Dam. Every additional signature makes the movement stronger.
On 13 May 2011 the Mekong River Commission and Australia’s Murray Darling Basin Authority signed a new agreement to continue sharing experiences and technical knowledge in river basin planning and management.
(Also available in Spanish and German at our Rainforest Rescue site.)
