International Day of Action for Rivers concerns Cambodia

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Anchor Moy
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International Day of Action for Rivers concerns Cambodia

Post by Anchor Moy »

:dm:
Because today March 14 is International Day of Action for Rivers, and since Cambodia is structured on it's rivers and many people are dependent on them for their livelihood - here are a few links to what is happening in Cambodia,particularly the dam projects and how they are likely to impact the environment and people's lives.

The Mekong
http://www.internationalrivers.org/prog ... heast-asia

The Mekong Region is the main focus of International Rivers' work in Southeast Asia. As it passes through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the Mekong River bursts with color and life. Sixty million people live in the lower Mekong Basin and their livelihoods and cultures are intimately connected with the river’s natural cycles. Boasting one of the world’s most diverse and productive inland fisheries, the Mekong supplies people with about 80% of their protein needs.

Yet this beautiful, dynamic and thriving river system is under threat and the next decade is critical for the future of the Mekong. The people living along the banks of the river and its tributaries see the Mekong as a resource to be nourished and sustained for future generations. But the region's governments and greedy foreign interests seem intent on constructing scores of dams on the Mekong mainstream and tributaries. China is building a cascade of fourteen dams on the Upper Mekong in Yunnan Province, which will have devastating impacts on downstream communities. Laos, in its bid to become “the battery of Southeast Asia”, hopes to develop more than sixty dams on Mekong tributaries, and is even considering nine projects on the mainstream. The dams would mean death by a thousand cuts to the river's rich fisheries and the people who depend upon them. But there is hope. The Mekong River is still a thriving ecosystem, and it is not too late to protect it.

People throughout Southeast Asia are facing threats from dams. Vietnam is building dam cascades on several Mekong tributaries, the impacts of which are being experienced by ethnic minorities living in Vietnam and by the Cambodian villagers living downstream. Cambodia is also hoping to build dams on Mekong tributaries and the mainstream.
Some badly thought-out dam projects for Cambodia :
Sesan 2 Dam near Stung Treng
http://www.internationalrivers.org/camp ... esan-2-dam
Located near the confluence of the Sesan and Srepok rivers in Stung Treng province, Cambodia, the Lower Sesan 2 Dam threatens the vitality and biodiversity of two of the Mekong River’s most significant tributaries.
This is where the local people have resorted to casting spells against the dam developers as a last resort, because no one is listening to their protests. https://cambodiaexpatsonline.com/newswor ... t4118.html

Sambor dam, Kratie
I know this area - there is no doubt in my mind that this project is plain stupid - the river is really wide surrounded by flat plains: http://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/sambor-dam
Even stupider, this part of the river houses one of the last breeding grounds of freshwater Irrewaddy dolphins which are already in danger of becoming extinct. :facepalm:

Laos also:
The Do Sahong dam project on the Laos/Cambodia border in the 4000 Islands also threatens river life, including the other pod of Irrewaddy dolphins found on this stretch of the Mekong. The power is destined to be exported to Thailand, not to benefit the locals.

Act to protect the Mekong : http://www.internationalrivers.org/node/8470

This is not to say that hydro-electric power is BAD in itself. The principal problems are that the projects are centred on their "possible" economic benefits for the powers that be, without taking into consideration the environmental and social upheavals created by these dams. Often the projects are much larger than they need to be because the bigger the dam, the bigger the kickbacks. Environmental studies are brushed aside and the local population are not consulted.
Cambodia needs more energy, but not at any price.

Speak up Cambodians :thumb: It's your country - can't leave it to the NGOs - and certainly not to the government .
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