Agricultural officials from 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta expressedtheir deep concern about Laos’ proposed hydroelectric dam on the MekongRiver, saying it would have adverse impacts on the lower section of theriver.

They gathered at a conference held in CanTho city by the Vietnam National Mekong Committee and the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development to learn information from a nationalconsultation meeting that examined the possible impacts of the DonSahong hydropower plant on the Mekong River.

Don Sahong, with a capacity of 260MW, is one of nine hydroelectricplants Laos is planning to build on the Mekong River, which is atrans-boundary river running through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand,Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Nguyen Duc Anh, director ofthe Centre for Supporting the Development in the Mekong river basin,said that with current hydrology conditions, around 4 percent of thetotal volume of annual water of the Mekong River flows into the HouSahong channel, where the dam will be set up.

Theconstruction of the dam is projected to divert up to around 50 percentof the volume into the channel, increasing the sand and mud volume fourtimes which could fill the reservoir up with mud only after six years,Anh added.

Phan Thanh Long, from the AquacultureResearch Institute II, straightforwardly pointed out that the dam woulddeal a blow to the lower areas of the river like the Mekong Delta, whichwould face the reduction of the alluvium and fishes, leading to poorquality of agro-products, causing great damages for farmers.

The planned dam for the hydroelectric plant Don Sahong locates in Siphandone area of Champassak province, southern Laos.

At the national consultation meeting held in Hanoi on December 22, experts said
the Don Sahong dam would block the flow on Hou Sahong, thus disruptingthe passage of migratory fish, damaging the local biologicalenvironment, and affecting the livelihood of locals who depend on HouSahong.

They agreed that the dam’s impactsmust be considered in all aspects, from fishery and the passage of fish,the community of Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River, water quality,ecological system and mud.

The Mekong River stretches more than 4,800km. It has the second biggest fish output in the world, after the Amazon River.

About 20 percent of the global freshwater fish output, or 2.1 milliontonnes, hail from the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), according to a 2010report on the Mekong River Commission Strategic Environmental Assessmentof Hydropower on the Mekong Mainstream.

Otherestimates said the river is home to 1,200 fish species. Notably,Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, where the river flows into the sea, harbours aparticular diversity of species, 486, with various sizes from severalmetres to a few centimetres long.

Fishery resourcesplay a crucial role in ensuring food security in the LMB, includingCambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, which have the highest level ofper capita freshwater fish consumption.

Around 2million tonnes of fish and 0.5 million tonnes of other aquatic speciesare caught in the LMB every year in addition to 2 million tonnes offarmed products.

The Mekong River Commissionreported that by 2013, there were at least 77 hydropower projectsplanned on Mekong River's tributaries and 11 mainstream hydropowerprojects/dams planned in the LMB, which is home to more than 60 millionpeople.-VNA