RELEVANT LINKS

• Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (TERRA)
  

• Mekong River Commission

• South-east Asia Rivers Network

• World Comission on Dams: Case Study of Pak Mun Dam

• New Lives for Ex-opium Farmers Take Root
• Hill Tribes Viewed as Commodities?
  

In a rush to emulate Thailand's model of building dams in the name of development, countries that share the Mekong River are turning a deaf ear to the social and environmental havoc such dams have wrought.

Experts say a typical example is Laos, where plans to build a dam in the Chamois province close to the Laos-Vietnam border have forced 5,000 people out of their homes.

In south-western China's Yunnan province, dam projects to harness the upstream waters of the 4,800 km Mekong River to generate power have forced river-bank communities to migrate, often at dire economic and social costs. Two dams using China's portion of the Mekong have been commissioned, and more are planned.

"The government has not stopped building dams to protect the communities living along the river," says Yu Xiaogang, deputy director of the Green Watershed group in Yunnan. "People in Yunnan will suffer. They have been asked to tighten their belts for the sake of development."

"Rural people are the most affected when it comes to the big projects such as dam building in the Mekong River region," adds Premrudee Daoroung of the Bangkok-based Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (TERRA), a non-governmental organisation.

Much of this trend stems from countries in the region following the trend set by Thailand to dam the river for urban progress.

"Thailand's development model does not help the people in the Mekong River area," asserts Premrudee, who along with Yu spoke at a seminar here in April for journalists from the six countries that share the Mekong River—China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. (The seminar was organised by IPS Asia-Pacific under the 'Our Mekong: A Vision amid Globalisation' programme supported by the Rockfeller Foundation')

The river's lower basin is home to over 60 million people, a number that has doubled over the past 30 years, according to the Mekong River Commission (MRC), a Phnom Penh-based inter-governmental body that monitors the use of the river's waters by Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

For the communities that have depended on the river for their livelihood, the seasonal floods, although a problem, are a welcome feature, says Delia Paul, communications officer of the MRC. "It is good for communities that depend on the river's fish for a living."

The fisheries yield in the lower basin reaches up to 1.75 million tonnes, which amounts to 1.45 billion U.S. dollars. This represents 2 percent of the total world catch, and 20 percent of all fish caught from the inland waters of the world.

But dam construction undermines this rich harvest, says Chainarong Sretthachau, director of the Thai wing of the Southeast Asian Rivers Network (SEARIN). "The Pak Mun dam (in Thailand) is the most obvious. Communities along the Mun River who were dependent on fisheries for a living have been reduced to poverty due to the dam."

Many villagers lost income and were forced to find jobs in Bangkok as labourers, as factory workers, he adds.

Cases like this show how governments perceive rivers and how they proceed building dams. "Since the 1940s, the Thai government has viewed the rivers as a source of income, as a way to earn money," says Premrudee. "The idea of dam building came to us from the United States. The Mekong River was to be controlled for development."

But, Premrudee points out, a key question was evaded: development for whom?

Chainarong adds that there has been little effort in Thailand to distinguish between those who stood to gain and to lose by the dam constructions. "The river and the lands of the rural communities were robbed to ensure comforts for the urban and industrialised sector of our society."

Likewise, "in Thailand and elsewhere, the people living by the river have never been consulted; there is a lack of people participation in these 'development' projects," Chainarong argues.

"The approach by governments and international financial institutions on this matter is very much like that of a dictator," he asserts.

But from the viewpoint of governments like Thailand's, dams are a key part of development. Since the 1940s, dams have been described as symbols of nationalism and essential pillars for progress.

In China, dams have become key to development and revenue strategies in provinces, as it tries to look for alternative ways of generating power to decrease its reliance on fuel produced by burning coal, which creates pollution and health problems.

The level of wealth in Thailand compared to neighbouring Laos helps explain why Vientiane wants to follow its neighbour's path, since dams have helped generate power required for Bangkok's development model.

"Like Thailand, other governments in the region feel that dams are the most important infrastructure for development," argues Chainarong. "It is an urban view, that of the powerful elite."