Vietnamese video from 2017: Fight against Dams for life along the Mekong River

Large hydropower dams 'not sustainable' in the developing world
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent
5 November 2018
A new study says that many large-scale hydropower projects in Europe and the US have been disastrous for the environment.
Dozens of these dams are being removed every year, with many considered dangerous and uneconomic.

But the authors fear that the unsustainable nature of these projects has not been recognised in the developing world.

Thousands of new dams are now being planned for rivers in Africa and Asia.

The report points our that the large installations on these great rivers will destroy food sources, with 60 million people who live off the fisheries along the Mekong likely to be impacted with potential loss of livelihoods greater than $2bn. The authors also believe that dams will destroy thousands of species in these biodiversity hotspots.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46098118

Are Cambodia’s hydropower plans risky?
Eijas Ariffin
5 February 2019

Along with most Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia’s electricity consumption over the past decade has skyrocketed. In a report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), electricity consumption in Cambodia has been growing rapidly, averaging 20 percent growth per annum since 2010. This rate continues to accelerate as average incomes in the nation rise on the whole.

Despite the growing consumption of electricity, Cambodia is one of the few countries in the region that has low access to electricity. In fact, Cambodia has one of the lowest electrification rates at just 60 percent nationwide. Only 62 percent of villages and 53 percent of households have access to grid quality electricity in the country.

The promise of hydropower
Enter hydropower. With the Mekong River flowing through the country, it is no coincidence that hydropower is Cambodia’s main source of energy accounting for more than 40 percent of total electricity generation. That figure could go higher in the near future as there is still plenty of untapped hydro potential, especially in the lower Mekong area.

Noticing this potential, Cambodia has encouraged the construction of dam projects along the Mekong in order to fulfil its target of achieving 100 percent electricity access by 2020.

In June 2018, a leaked environmental impact assessment report revealed that the proposed Chinese-backed Sambor Hydropower Dam could “literally kill” the Mekong River.
The Sambor Hydropower Dam was singled out in the report as the “worst possible place” to build a dam. The construction of the dam could kill off most aquatic life surrounding it – most notably the Irrawaddy dolphins.

Increasing access to electricity is a necessary move by the government but it cannot come at the expense of the environment. If the Cambodian government decides to go ahead with its hydropower projects, then proper planning must be put in place. Moves to mitigate the potential damage to the Mekong must also be carried out as well.
Full article: https://theaseanpost.com/article/are-ca ... lans-risky

Hydropower is booming in the Mekong River basin as countries seek clean energy – but these massive dams might prove even more polluting than fossil fuels

WHY WE WROTE THIS: Because time is running out to take action on climate change
Claire Baker-Munton
June 5, 2019

The film opens with dark gray smoke billowing from twin stacks soaring high above a cityscape, the sky only slightly less gray than the pollution that rises to meet it. Cut to a crowded Asian street, filled with dated vans and face-mask-wearing drivers astride motos, and then flames and smoke spewing from open trash piles set on fire. These images come from a UN PSA film released this year, but the imagery has long been linked with the dangers of air pollution.

The short video’s conclusion that “the world has the science, technology, and funds to reduce pollution for a cleaner future” is written over images of solar panels, windmills and trees lining a clean lake.

The message is as clear and recognisable as the scenes it shows: conventional fuels edge us closer to climate catastrophe; green energy is the solution.

Demand for electricity in Southeast Asia is expected to grow by two-thirds by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency, and countries are scrambling to meet demand through multiple sources of energy, both clean and dirty. The forerunner in the Mekong River basin – the hydroelectric dam – has been seen as the Wunderkind for electricity: a relatively-powerful green energy source that makes the most of nations’ natural geography and resources.

Hydropower dams generate power by the flow of water through turbines; the more water the more power, so in theory, if built on a sloping river, dams produce power by letting nature do its thing, with little to no atmospheric cost. Compared to coal, which is dug from the bowels of the earth, dragged across borders for combustion in smoke-spewing plants and is the most dominant energy generator in Southeast Asia, hydroelectric dams seem like a sound investment for both pocket and planet.

But a recent study of hundreds of dams in the Mekong River basin found that one in five may actually emit equal – or even more – greenhouse gases than fossil fuels. And that’s not including all of the pathways that lead to emissions.

According to the study’s lead author Timo A Räsänen in an email to Southeast Asia Globe, if all emissions pathways were considered, the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would be larger.

How much of these harmful gases gets released depends on the dam’s design and surrounding landscape. The reason why dams emit GHG?

It’s the trees...
Full article: https://southeastasiaglobe.com/dead-in-the-water/

Cambodia looks to hydropower, but…
The ASEAN Post Team
17 December 2019

Along with most Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia’s electricity consumption over the past decade has skyrocketed. In a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), electricity consumption in Cambodia has been growing rapidly, averaging 20 percent growth per annum since 2010. This rate continues to accelerate as average incomes in the nation rise on the whole.

Despite the growing consumption of electricity, Cambodia is among one of the few countries in the region that has low access to electricity. In fact, Cambodia has one of the lowest electrification rates at just 60 percent nationwide. Only 62 percent of villages and 53 percent of households have access to grid quality electricity in the country.

There is also a large urban-rural divide when it comes to who has electricity access. Almost the whole urban population in Phnom Penh has access to electricity while only half of the rural population has ready access to it. The majority of the Cambodian population falls into the lower income group and live in rural areas.

Enter hydropower. With the Mekong River flowing through the country, it is no coincidence that hydropower is the country’s main source of energy accounting for more than 40 percent of total electricity generation. That figure could go higher in the future as there is still plenty of untapped hydro potential, especially in the lower Mekong area.

Noticing this potential, the government there has encouraged the construction of dam projects along the Mekong so that it (the government) can fulfil its target of achieving 100 percent electricity access by 2020.

Among the biggest financiers of the country’s hydropower projects come from China. As part of China’s massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a number of Chinese companies have received approval from the Cambodian government to build hydropower dams across the Mekong. In 2016, Cambodia saw the construction of six hydropower dams. All of them were built and financed entirely by Chinese companies.

Potential effects

Cambodia’s reliance on hydropower for its energy needs could have a detrimental effect on the country.

Hydropower projects in the region have come under heavy scrutiny after the Lao dam collapse which killed over 30 people. Many are beginning to question the safety standards of dams constructed in the region.

There are various reasons behind the Lao dam collapse. Some blame the shoddy design or construction, while there are others that pin it on climate change and the resulting heavy downpours. With the Cambodian government looking to construct many dams quickly, safety could be a legitimate concern.

There is also fears that the construction of these dams could have an adverse impact on the Mekong River. Construction of dams along the Mekong raises immediate risks for fisheries, farming, and food security in Cambodia as multiple upstream hydropower dams disrupt flood cycles, nutrient flows, and sediment transport.

Even the government has acknowledged this. According to Nao Thuok, a Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Cambodian government is currently operating on projections of a 16 to 30 percent drop in fish biomass. This loss of aquatic life would not just affect the natural life of the area, but also the surrounding communities. The people who live around areas slated for these proposed hydropower projects could potentially lose their livelihoods and also have their homes affected.

In June 2018, a leaked environmental impact assessment (EIA) report revealed that the proposed Chinese-backed Sambor Hydropower Dam could “literally kill” the Mekong River.

The report that was commissioned by the Cambodian government and carried out by US-based National Heritage Foundation was kept secret by the Cambodian government prior to the 2018 National elections.

The proposed location for the Sambor Hydropower Dam was singled out in the report as the “worst possible place” for a dam. The construction of the dam could kill off most aquatic life surrounding it – most notably the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins.

The report recommends that Cambodia look into solar energy instead. “Solar energy is the only option with a positive net economic benefit after all costs and benefits are taken into account, and the cost of solar would be cheaper than the best possible mitigated dam,” said the report.

Increasing access to electricity is a necessary move by the government but it cannot come at the expense of the environment. If the Cambodian government decides to go ahead with its hydropower projects, then proper planning must be put in place. Moves to mitigate the potential damage to the Mekong must also be carried out as well.
https://theaseanpost.com/article/cambod ... hydropower