"Mekong residents and local agencies left in the dark about Pak Beng dam on the Lower Mekong" 10 October 2022

Local government agencies as well as Mekong residents in bordering districts in Chaing Rai are left in the dark about the progress of the Pak Beng dam project located on the Mekong River in Lao PDR’s territory, which is merely around 100 kilometres from their communities. Potential impacts are not yet updated to them either, heightening fears that their properties could be affected beyond reversibility… as well as Thailand’s borderline.

Local government officials including village heads, Kamnans, a municipality mayor, a district chief of Wiang Kaen District where the Mekong River leaves Thailand, and even a governor of the province said they have not yet received any updates about the dam project from concerned agencies despite the recent nod on power purchase from the dam by the National Energy Policy Committee (NEPC). [...]

Subdistrict Municipality chief of Tambon Muang Yai next to the Thai-Lao border, Aphithan Thipta, said during the meeting at the District Office last week that no official meetings by concerned agencies have been held to inform the residents about the situation. There have been merely hearsays in his area, where some villages including Huay Luek are potentially flooded permanently. The residents are kept in the dark, having no idea to what extent the backwater of the dam could reach and flood their properties.

Prior Consultation?

[...] The project was first developed by Datang (Lao) Pak Beng Hydropower Co., Ltd. with an investment worth around US $2,372 million to build a 912-MW run-of-river dam with a total storage capacity of 559 million cubic metres at a normal water level of 340 metres. It was meant to supply up to 10% of the power produced by the project to Électricité du Laos (EDL) and the surplus power will be supplied to Thailand, according to the documents. [...]

Hannarong Yaowalers, a president of the non-profit Thai Water Partnership promoting sustainable water management in the region, said the organisation had participated in a few consultations and technical review sessions and learned that the information regarding the dam project and its impacts especially the backwater effects was briefly briefed to the participants, and no responses were given to them when they raised concerns.

“No developer representatives were present at the meetings, so nobody there could give clear explanations to the participants,” said Mr. Hannarong. [...]