Threats from Mekong Dam Highlighted as Construction Decision Nears

As the governments of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia prepare to decide next week whether to proceed with construction of a massive dam on the Mekong River, a new report from the conservation group WWF warns that the dam could have a devastating impact on fish in the river and threaten the food supplies of millions of people. The Xayaburi dam, which would be built in Laos but provide electric power mainly to Thailand, is the first of 11 proposed dams for the lower Mekong River. The WWF report says that environmental impact studies conducted by various governments were poorly prepared and grossly underestimate the effect of the dam on river species, including the endangered giant Mekong catfish and 70 migratory fish species that spawn above the dam. The WWF report said that fish ladders designed to ease fish passage above the dam were poorly designed and would probably be ineffective. Assurances by regional governments that the dam would have minimal environmental impact were not credible, WWF said. Similar assurances were given about the construction of a dam on the Mun River, a Mekong tributary, but the dam has led to the disappearance of 56 species and reduced catches of 169 species.