'Dams may give China control over Mekong'
Countries downstream fear a series of dams will damage the ecology and hurt the livelihood of millions
By Edward Tang
THAILAND CORRESPONDENT

BANGKOK - The old saying that Chinese and Thais are like one family because they drink from the same river may no longer hold water today.
Plans by China to build a raft of hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River and its bid to carve a new shipping route to serve Chinese cargo vessels
are creating ripples in neighbouring downstream countries such as Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
There are deep concerns in these communities that the construction activities could damage the ecological system and hurt the livelihoods of millions of farmers and fishermen.
The Mekong is the longest river in South-east Asia. The 4,800-km river begins on the Tibetan plains in China and flows through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia before emptying itself into Gulf of Thailand. The river is a major lifeline for more than 60 million people who live in the Mekong Basin, which covers an area of 800,000 sq km. 'Villagers living along the Mekong River say there are fewer and fewer fish to catch,' said environmentalist Pruemrudee Daroung, who heads the non-government organisation Towards Ecological Recovery And Regional Alliance (Terra). She told The Straits Times that the famous giant catfish which breeds near the Thai section of the river had become almost extinct due to possible disruption to the water level.
Residents in Chiang Rai, a northern Thai province, had reported a declining water level in the river ever since the Manwan Dam was built this year, she said.
The dam is the first of eight hydropower dams that China plans to build on the river in Yunnan province during the next few years. Critics said the dams would destroy the ecosystem and give China absolute control over water levels in the Mekong. Recently, China has also embarked on a project to create a new navigation channel on the Mekong, which involved dynamiting extensive stretches of coral reefs and rapids. The new route, which has the support of the governments of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, will enable Chinese cargo ships of more than 100 tonnes to travel from Simao in Yunnan to river ports of the neighbouring countries.
Currently, only light vessels are able to ply the river safely because of the shallow riverbed. Critics say the destruction of reefs has resulted in stronger currents eroding the riverbanks and causing major damage to fish breeding grounds in downstream countries. At a meeting last week in Thailand attended by officials, academics and non-government interest groups, a Cambodian participant said marine life in the Tonle Sap River has declined. Another participant from Vietnam reported rice and shrimp farmers in the Mekong Delta had complained about reduced water supply.
China was represented at the meeting, which was co-hosted by Terra and Australia's Mekong Resource Centre, by two academics who are consultants to
the Chinese projects. Ms Pruemrudee said that while they appeared to be receptive to the concerns of other countries, there was no knowing what the official Chinese positions were. China recently entered into an agreement with other Mekong Basin countries to form a regional power distribution system in which hydroelectric plants in China, Myanmar and Laos will supply energy to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia through an integrated grid. There are concerns that the US$4.5-billion (S$8-billion) project will trigger a cascade of new dams on the Mekong, which could be damaging to the environment.

(11-10-02).