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Boys bathe and fish along the Mekong River in Nakhanoi, Laos, on the evening of May 26, 2010.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) calls for emergency meeting The agreement between Laos and the intergovernmental body comes after the country announced it would go ahead with its second hydropower project without first consulting the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
Under a 1995 agreement, mainstream dam projects can proceed only if there is consensus among the four members of the Mekong River Commission: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
Laos has Provide MRC The feasibility study for the new Don Sahong dam includes an assessment of its social and environmental impacts, but the document has not yet been made public. After Laos announced the construction of its first dam in 2012, the consulting firm responsible for the impact study received harsh criticism for evaluation.
If used wisely, hydropower can bring development to impoverished regions of Southeast Asia, but the risks are considerable. Dams have the potential to restrict the flow of nutrient sediments to Vietnam’s rice fields and limit the paths of migratory fish that feed millions of people in the lower Mekong. Environmental groups such as the World Wildlife Fund have also warned of the impacts dams could have on the Mekong’s unique biodiversity, second only to the Amazon. The Irrawaddy dolphin and the Mekong catfish are two species that are threatened with extinction.
The Lao government said it expects to start construction of the Don Sahong hydropower station in November 2013 and plans to start commercial operations in May 2018.
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