Laos dam criticism premature

The article says, “Laos has ignored advice from the Mekong River Commission (MRC) that the Don Sahong Dam must undergo a ‘prior consultation’ process, instead choosing only to notify neighbouring countries of its unilateral decision to build the dam.” 

We would like to reiterate that the MRC has not yet made a decision on this matter, since we are waiting for the MRC Joint Committee to decide how to proceed. Laos’ submission via the notification procedure allows member countries to discuss the matter among themselves.

The article also misleads in referring to “the absence of a regional agreement” for the project. The MRC’s notification and prior consultation procedures enforce cooperation among the member states, but neither of these amounts to an approval process. There is no mandatory requirement for a “regional agreement” unless a project involves diversion of water from the Mekong mainstream to another basin in the dry season, which is not a case with the Don Sahong project.

The article also mentions an MRC Strategic Environmental Assessment, saying “the dam would block critical fish migrations and reduce the flow of nutrients that allow for agricultural productivity”.  We would like to clarify that this report was commissioned by the MRC but it is not considered an MRC report. The MRC Secretariat has not assessed potential impacts of the project on the environment of the Lower Mekong Basin.

Hans Guttman

Chief executive officer, Office of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat