Mekong River blues
June 25th, 2006
THE MEKONG RIVER VALLEY
After leaving the Golden Triangle Park, we drove an hour or so to a small village along the Mekong. We passed the “lost ghost” rapids on the way. The rapids are the focus of much controversy. China wants to blast through them, so that heavy barge traffic can reach Luang Prabang, the capitol of Laos. (Barges up to 100 tons can currently travel to Chiang Saen in Thailand but can go no further. The Chinese want to dredge the river so that barges up to 500 tons can navigate the river 95 percent of the year. That would require an enormous dredging effort.) Local residents say the rapids are an important breeding ground for migratory fish.
RAPIDS ON THE MEKONG
Our bus struggled mightily up and down the hills of northern Thailand and I doubted that we would reach Baan Hadkhai village without breaking down, but we made it. The chief of the village, Boonrean Chiangnarat, spoke to us about the villagers’ concerns.
Nearly 200 families live in Baan Hadkai, with about 670 residents. Villagers are worried about the ongoing dredging program and the construction of numerous dams. China alone has built two dams along the river with two more under construction and four more planned. The Laotians are also aggressively building dams.
By damming and dredging the river, governments are altering both the flow and level of the river water. Increased river traffic will also bring increased pollution. This, in turn, could affect the fishery along the river. About 100 million people live along the banks of the Mekong and many of them, especially in Cambodia, depend on the river for much of their diet.
YOUNG BOY FISHING ON THE MEKONG
OLD MAN FISHING ON THE MEKONG
The Chinese argue that the dams will have a beneficial affect by developing the region economically and reducing the problems of flooding.
Villagers in Baan Hadkai say that the fish population in the Mekong has already declined by about fifty percent. The giant Mekong catfish, which looks like a good size shark, is one of many species of fish found in the river. For one month a year, when the catfish migrates upriver near Baan Hadkai, villagers “hunt” for it. Last year, villagers caught just four catfish. This year, in honor of the King’s Jubilee, they agreed to a fishing moratorium, though they demonstrated their technique to us.
HEADING OUT ON THE MEKONG
OUR GUIDE
FISHERMAN DEMONSRATE HOW THEY HUNT FOR CATFISH
The position of the Thai government in all of this is murky. The Thais announced in 1995 that they would no longer build dams along the Mekong. However, they buy electricity from China and Laos, which are building dams on the Mekong and/or its tributaries. (China is building a dam near Jinghong with the intention of selling electricity to Thailand.) The Thai government is reportedly reconsidering its moratorium on dam building.
After villagers protested the proposed dredging of the lost ghost rapids, the Thai government put the plan on hold saying that it needed to determine a definitive boundary between Thailand and Laos. However, plans continue on a new port at Chiang Kong, which can support larger barges, so it seems likely that the dredging will proceed at some point.
THE CHINESE WANT TO DREDGE OUTCROPPINGS OF ROCK
Even if villagers are able to block the program of river clearances, they will not be able to block other nations from building dams. The Chinese have made it clear that they alone will decide whether to build dams in Chinese territory — regardless of whom the affect. China has declined to join the Mekong River Commission, a regional organization established as a forum to discuss issues related to the Mekong. It has rejected any outside oversight of its dam program. Milton Osborne, an expert on the Mekong, published “River at risk” in 2004. Of the Chinese he writes that, “The construction for dams, without consultation, the promotion of river clearances and the accompanying extension of Chinese trade down the river sit alongside other aspects of China’s steady push to asserts its position of dominance in the region.”
Osborne says the river’s future is now on a “knife edge” stressed by dams and river clearances, accompanied by rapid population growth and over fishing.
The people of Baan Hadkai survive now as farmers. How long they can continue is an open question. The new port at Chiang Kong will allow more river traffic from China — and more vegetables from Chinese farmers.
THE SUN SETS ON THE MEKONG RIVER
Entry Filed under: Freeman Fellowship
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