Massive Hydropower Project Begins Amid Warnings

A fishing boat floats on the Mekong river at Sambor in Cambodia's Kratie Provice, another site in the country that has been chosen for a proposed 18-kilometer hydro-dam. (Photo: AP)

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 29 December 2010

"If we can reduce our dependence on petroleum, oil or gasoline, our energy security will be ensured."

Cambodia broke ground on a new Chinese-funded hydropower dam in Koh Kong province on Tuesday, despite warnings from conservation groups of a heavy impact to the surrounding environment.

The $495 million dam, which China Huandian Corporation will control in a build-operate-transfer scheme for 35 years, is expect to produce 338 megawatts by 2015. NGO Forum, a group of organizations, has called the project “outdated, expensive and risky.” Other critics say the negative impacts of the dams outweigh the benefits.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has called concerns over the dam “extremist.”

“Is there any development that doesn’t have an impact on the environment and natural resources,” he said in a speech. “Please provide a reasonable response. If we can reduce our dependence on petroleum, oil or gasoline, our energy security will be ensured.”

At least five Chinese companies are investing in dam projects—in the provinces of Kampong Speu, Kampot, Koh Kong and Pursat and along the Mekong river.

Hun Sen said he expects power to flow from different projects by the end of 2011, and into 2012, 2013 and 2015.

New scientific study: Dams on Sesan River polluting water and poisoning downstream communities

Address: PO Box 89007, Village 4, Banlung Town, Ratanakiri,
CAMBODIA
tel: (855) 75 974 112
Email: sesan@online.com.kh
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PRESS RELEASE

8th September, 2009

New scientific study: Dams on Sesan River polluting water and poisoning downstream communities.

Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia - A new report has linked upstream hydropower reservoirs to high levels of toxic algae and bacteria found in the Sesan River, which exceed World Health Organisation (WHO) limits for safe drinking water.

Adverse environmental and social impacts caused by hydroelectric damming of the Sesan River are reflected in a report released by STRIVER; a research strategy for improved water resource management jointly coordinated by the Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (BIOFORSK) and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). The report illustrates how detrimental dams on the Sesan River in Vietnam have been to the quality of water in the Sesan River and the health problems faced by communities living downstream in Ratanakiri province, Cambodia.

These research findings are especially relevant given proposals are in place to construct 5 dams on the Sesan River and its tributaries in Cambodia, including the large 400MW Sesan II dam in Stung Treng, which is anticipated to resettle over 5,000 people, inundate more than 33,000 ha of land, and have large scale impacts on fisheries and the livelihoods of both upstream and downstream communities.

The 2009 STRIVER technical brief entitled “A limnological study of the Sesan River in Cambodia in the dry season: focus on toxic cyanobacteria and coliform bacteria” is based on scientific research carried out by Anna Madeleine Tiodolf, Norwegian University of Life Sciences with field assistance provided by the 3S Rivers Protection Network (3SPN). The report presents the results of a water quality study conducted during the dry season over a two-week period in March 2008 in which water samples were taken in two different locations along the Sesan River in Ratanakiri province; Andong Meas, 30 kilometres downstream of the Vietnamese border, and Vuen Sai, 130 kilometres downstream of the Vietnamese border.

The study confirmed the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in the Sesan River mainstream, however no cyanobacteria were detected in the water samples taken in three different tributaries, indicating the polluted water to originate from a more stagnant mainstream source such as an upstream hydropower reservoir.

The water is not suitable for human consumption

Research by Tiodolf found concentrations of toxic algae (cyanotoxin) and presence of the indicator species E.coli, coliform bacteria, in the Sesan River exceed World Health Organisation (WHO) limits for safe drinking water.

Cyanotoxins are cancerous to the liver after longer periods of exposure, while excessive levels of E.coli concentration are commonly associated with many health problems and present an increased risk to communities through the spreading of waterborne disease.

Results are consistent with the gastric disorders and skin problems experienced by Sesan River communities since the construction of the Yali Falls dam. Approximately 28,000 people rely on the Sesan River for their drinking water, fishing, bathing, and feeding livestock and according to a report prepared by the Fisheries Office in 2000 entitled “A study of the downstream impacts of the Yali Falls dam in the Sesan River Basin in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia.” The 2000 report stated that 952 people had died along the Sesan River, with large numbers of domestic animals, as a result of diseases believed by local communities to be directly associated with the Yali Falls dam.

A 2007 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the Sesan River similarly identified toxic algae as the likely reason for villagers’ illnesses. The EIA report prepared by the Norwegian Institute for Water Research and Nordic hydropower consultants, SWECO Grøner, confirmed that there are strains of toxin-producing cyanobacteria present in the Yali Dam Reservoir, and that water quality in the Sesan River has “seriously deteriorated since the construction of the Yali Power Plant” with the cyanobacteria producing “exactly the same symptoms” as reported by Cambodians downstream.

Mr. Meach Mean, Coordinator of the 3S Rivers Protection Network which works with communities along the Sesan River in Ratanakiri, indicates that this study confirms what villagers have been reporting for years. “The research by STRIVER clearly demonstrates the disastrous ecological and social effects large dams can have on rivers and the associated health problems for downstream communities. We hope this report will help initiate remedy for the communities who have been waiting for mitigation and compensation from the past and present impacts of Vietnam’s dams”.

Construction on Vietnam’s Yali Falls dam began in 1993 by the Electricity of Vietnam on the Sesan River and is located approximately 70-80 km from the border of Cambodia. Since its construction and operation in 2001, villagers living downstream have experienced large-scale social, economic, and environmental impacts. Despite complaints and requests from communities for mitigation no solution has been forthcoming

Mr. Say Duen, from Koh Peah Commune, in Vuan Sai district confirmed that health problems started approximately 5 to 10 years ago. “When we use the river water to cook, or to wash, we sometimes get a skin rash or diarrhea, and children who swim and drink the water get sick, especially during the dry season. I hope that this message will be received by the government and dam builders and they use their responsibility to find a solution for our people.”

END

For more information, photos, or documents mentioned in this press release:
Contact: Mr. Meach Mean, Coordinator, 3S Rivers Protection Network, sesan@online.com.kh, +855 (0)11 758 970.

The 3S Rivers Protection Network (3SPN) is a civil society organisation representing indigenous people living along the Sesan, Srepok (and Sekong) Rivers in Cambodia.

Controversy surrounding the Kirirom 3 Dam?

Nam Ngum dam in Ratanakiri (Photo: DR, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

06 Nov 2008
By Ung Chansophea
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

Environmentalists have expressed their concerns over the environmental impact from the Kirirom 3 hydro-electric project awarded to a Chinese company.

During a press conference organized on Thursday 06 November, a report prepared by The Rivers Coalition in Cambodia (RCC) NGO and by the America Friends Service Committee (AFSC) raised issues about problems linked to this hydro-electric project. The 4-month-long NGO study involved environmental and human impacts from this project. The Kirirom 3 Dam, a dam with a capacity of 18 MW, will be built on the Prek Kampong Som River in the province of Koh Kong. The electricity generated by the dam would be used by Phnom Penh and the construction cost is estimated to be $40.3 million. It will be entirely financed by the Chinese government. The project which was announced in 2004, recently received the nod from the government to start. The Chinese company China Electric Power Technology Import and Export Corp. (CETIC) will be in charge of its construction.

Ngy Sorn, the deputy director of the NGO Forum, indicated that “almost 5,000 people will be affected by the construction of this dam. The environmental impact will be substantial: lower water quality in the river, flooding of agricultural lands and homes, disappearance of ponds and canals. The negative impact on wildlife, in particular aquatic life, will be serious.” Ngy Sorn proposed a more positive vision for the kingdom energy policy: “Kirirom 3 is a small project, if we build it with good principles, the environmental impact will be limited. Cambodia must set in place quality standards for hydro-electric dams. To do it now would set a good example for the development of other similar projects.” The NGO report provided several proposals touching upon damage compensations, land compensations, as well as water management.

Meas Moeun, a representative of affected villagers from the Daun Peang commune who was present at the press conference, wishes to see “the competent ministries and the construction company allowing villagers to participate in the project, and that the villagers’ wishes be taken into account.”

Ngy Sorn recognized that “the government is more interested in the economic development than the preservation of the environment.” According to Ngy Sorn, only 20% of homes in Cambodia have electricity and the government plans to boost this number to 70% in 2030. This is the reason why the government launches several hydro-electric projects, and 4 other dam projects are currently under study.

“We do not oppose the economic development, we only ask that proper compensations be provided,” Meas Moeun concluded.

Cambodian villagers suffer from the impact of dams built in Laos and Vietnam

30 May 2008
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Environment defense associations issued sharp criticisms against hydro-electric dams built on the Sesan River in Vietnam, and on the Sekong River in Laos, during a seminar held on Friday 30 May in Phnom Penh. According to these associations, villagers living in the provinces of Stung Treng, Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri suffer from the impact of dams built in Laos and Vietnam.

“Downstream from the dams, the living condition of villagers is deteriorating,” Peak Saven, a representative of the Association for the Environmental and Cultural Preservation, indicated. “Because of the impact of the river stream and the level of water, the quantity of fishes is scarce.” According to Peak Saven, villagers are also contracting diseases.

Kim Sangha, of the Protection of Rivers Network, confirmed that these dams have negative impacts on the livelihood of villagers living downstream from these hydro-electric dams. “They suffer from flooding, the catch less fish than before, and they must move out,” he said. According Kim Sangha also, the dam builders have neglected the environmental impact.