Potential Impacts of Pak Chom Dam on Local Food Securityin Kok Wao village

Tipakson ManpatiMekong School

November 12, 2009

Objectives1 .To assess the

livelihood of communities that will be affected by the dam project.

2. To estimate potential impacts of the dam on the environment, society and local economy.

Objectives3. To enhance people’s

ability to access rights to information and participation in decisions concerning development projects.

4. To promote sustainable livelihoods and food security.

Pak Chom: Mekong Mainstream Dams• 1950s- the Mekong Committee proposed the idea

of lower Mekong mainstream dams

• 1960s- the committee launched plans for a cascade of seven large-scale “multi-purpose” dams (hydroelectricity, flood control, irrigation, and navigation)

• 1970s- the plan to dam were proposed into the Mekong Committee’s indicative plan

Pak Chom: Mekong Mainstream Dams

• After the cold war the Mekong Committee became the Mekong River Commission (MRC), and revived the old plans for Mainstream Mekong dams

• 2007- Thailand, Lao and Cambodia governments granted approval to Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, Russian and Vietnamese companies to conduct feasibility studies on at least 11 dam projects on the lower Mekong mainstream

Proposed cascade of dams on the Mekong

mainstream

Pakbeng, Luangprabang, Sayabouli, Paklay, Sanakham, Latsua and Donesahong in Laos, at Ban Koum and Pakchom along the Thai-Lao border, and at Strung Treng and Sambor in Cambodia.

The GMS Power grid plan involves Regional Power Interconnections and Power Trade Agreements to promote hydropower projects on the Mekong mainstream.

Is Pak Chom dam project a part of the ADB’s GMS Power grid?

The ADB’s GMS Power Grid

www.internationalrivers.org

Research site: Kok Wao village

Loei province, Thailand

Vientiane province, Lao

Pak Chom dam

TERRA, April 2009

• Pa Mong to Pak Chom: Dusted off dam project

• The Pa Mong dam was originally proposed by the Mekong River Commission in 1997

• Thailand’s Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Department proposed Pak Chom dam (2007)

• Location: on the Mekong River between Thailand-Lao border

• Dam capacity: 1,079 MW • Estimated cost: 69,641 billion

Baht• Type: Run-of-river with fish

ladders• 82-square-kilometer reservoir

to store water, submerging 4,127 Rai – 660.32 Hectare*

The dam project information

*1 Rai = 0.16 Hectare

The dam project information• Estimated effect

to riverbank cultivation land: 128 hectare in Thailand, 88.48 hectare in Laos

• Estimated effect to villages: Kok Wao, Huay Khob (Had Kam Pi, Pak Mung, Sa Ngao, Pak Niam, Sri Pu Thorn, Pak Chom district, Huay Hang

A Pre-feasibility study and initial environmental examination of two “hydraulic cascade weir projects”

on the Mekong (Ban Koum and Pak Chom) was finished by Panya Consultant Company and Macro

Consultant Company in February, 2008.

The dam project stage

The dam project stage

Since the Pre-feasibility study and initial environmental examination were finished in 2008, the dam project stage has not been clear.

However, in the dam site have been some marks.

Dam site

Information access

• No transparency and little public participation in public hearings and feasibility study

• Monopoly over information by the government and companies

• Not wide spread of the dam project stage information

“I heard there is a plan to build a dam, but I don’t know the details. It is necessary to inform villagers of the details. They only say that we will have to move our homes, temple and school. I wonder why it will be like that. However, they don’t explain in detail the benefits and losses. We want to know the details.” Lung Fern (September 19, 2009)

Potential impacts on local food security

Livelihoods and food

The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”.

Food security in Kok Wao village•Most villagers are at least self-sufficient

in basic food from back yard gardening along the riversides and hillsides.

•80% of households depend on food from the Mekong river ecosystem.

•20% of households depend more on food from the market together with some natural food from the Mekong and mountainous ecosystems.

Focus group discussion (September 24, 2009)

Dependency of food

Mountain/Forest

River bank

River

Villager’s food security

“I’ve been living with the Mekong River since I was born and grew up. I love the Mekong. When I was a child, I wasn’t afraid of the river. I went to swim and catch fish and shrimp and brought buckets full home. In the dry season, I plant vegetables along the river bank. If the Mekong River dries up, it will be hard to find food. Life will be difficult.” Grandma Tad, river bank gardener (September 16, 2009)

What will happen to food security if the dam is built? • Eliminate wild fish

capture (direct)• Submerge natural

food along the river bank ecosystem (direct)

• Destroy river bank gardening and agriculture (direct)

• Speed up mono-plantation invasion into forest areas (indirect)

Local fisheries

• 11 sub-ecosystems in the Mekong River in Kok Wao area

• 80% catch fish for a living

• 20% catch fish for selling

Wild fish capture

“I earn income from fishing around 4,000-5,000 Baht/year. I fish to eat first then I sell. I don’t have to buy food from market. But today, it is more difficult to catch fish. Many kind of fish have disappeared because people use electricity and explosive to catch fish.” Grandpa Bee, fisherman (September, 2009)

“Nowadays, fish in the Mekong River is decreasing because of ecosystem has changed. Sometime a lot of water comes and caused erosion and destroy food of fish.” Grandpa Bu, fisherman (September, 2009)

Food along the river banks

• At least 28 kinds of wild and cultivated vegetables

• At least 7 kinds of edible riverine animals and insects

Focus group discussion (September 19, 2009)

River bank gardening

3 years ago river bank gardens covered an estimated 250 Rai (40 Hectare). 50 families out of 95 households owned an average of 5 Rai (0.8 Hectare) per family

At present, due to erosion, only 28 households still have small pieces of river bank land left for “mini-

gardening”

River bank erosion !!

September, 2009

What caused the river bank erosion?

Naga? Dams?

“8 years ago, the Naga swim in the Mekong River. Water flowed very strong. I don’t know where the water came from. After that year, many rocks that I had never seen before emerged in the Mekong River. When I was young the water level moved up and down due to the season, but the river bank never eroded. Now, the Mekong River in dry season has less water than usual. I can’t conclude why it happens.” Pa Taew (October 1, 2009)

The villagers’ perspective on river bank erosion

Upstream dams on the Mekong River

• Origin of 19 tributary streams.

• Provides wild food and animals

• Highland rice fields• Fruit orchards• Crop fields (e.g. corn,

cassava, papaya)• Economic mono-

plantations (e.g. rubber tree)

Mountain ecosystem

Wild food in the mountains

What might happen if the dam is built?

• Deforestation • Intensive cultivation and mono-plantations --- more debt• Increase competition for resources • Reduction of natural food and wild food

“We can collect many food in the forest, but it’s more difficult than we collect it from the river and river bank area. We can plant vegetable in the mountain it need a lot of take care, especially water.”

Conclusion

• Information about the dam project has not been widespread and is unclear

• There has not been full public participation from the feasibility study onward

• Many of Kok Wao villagers feel worried about the dam

• The villager’s food security is already threatened by erosion and the dam will make this worse

• There are potential negative impacts of the dam on local fisheries and river bank and forest ecosystems

Recommendation and requests for Thai and Lao governments and companies:

• The governments and companies must disclose information on the development projects to the public through all kind of media, meetings and forums regarding right to information and expression

• The governments and companies must provide spaces for full rights to information and public participation in decisions at all levels concerning development projects

Recommendations and requests for Thai and Lao governments and companies:

• Concerning development projects, the governments and companies must conduct (new) feasibility, EIA, SIA and HIA studies with full people’s participation, working with local people, NGOs and CSOs with good-governance transparency, and democracy

• The government and companies must respect community’s rights to manage resources for sustainable livelihoods

Recommendation for the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and ASEAN:• The MRC must take an active role to push the

governments in the Mekong region toward sustainable development with knowledge based public decisions

• ASEAN must take action to stop destructive projects in the Mekong and ASEAN region based on people oriented participation in decision making, and support renewable and sustainable energy

Recommendations for NGOs and civil society organizations should:

• Work closely and continuously with the local people in order to enhance people’s ability to access rights to information and participation in decisions concerning development projects

• Promote and support trainings for local people to preserve sustainable livelihoods.

• Work in a strong network to circulate information on the dam situation to local people for campaign strategies with local people’s participation

Recommendations for Communities in affected areas should:• Follow up on the situation of the dam project• Exchange and share information and learn

experience about sustainable livelihood and development project issues with neighboring communities

• Set up information center to share and discuss issues related to the dam project in order to increase solidarity among communities.

• Monitor local authorities and take an active role in decisions about the projects

Discussion, questions and comments are

welcomed and appreciated

Thank you.