Five Cambodian NGOs have raised concerns over a planned hydropower dam in Luang Prabang, Laos, pointing to the potential effects on water flow, fish population and sediment transfer in the lower Mekong.
The 1,460 MW Luang Prabang dam is expected to begin construction later this year, making it the fifth of nine dams in Laos on the Mekong basin. The new dam has compounded concerns already expressed by civil society over the Xayaburi and Don Sahong dams because of the economic and environmental impact on the critical Mekong River.
The Cambodian civil society groups – 3S River Protection Network, FACT, The NGO Forum on Cambodia, My Village, Center and Environment Preservation Association –Thursday expressed alarm in a press release at the potential impact on fish migration, hydrology and sediment transfer that would occur from the hydropower projects on the Mekong mainstream.
