Comments concerning the Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Impact Assessment documents provided for the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Project, Lao PDR.

8/6/2019 Comments concerning the Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Impact Assessment documents provided fo

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CommentsconcerningtheEnvironmentalImpactAssessmentandSocial

ImpactAssessmentdocumentsprovidedfortheXayaburiHydroelectric

PowerProject,LaoPDR.August2010

ApublicdocumentpreparedbyTEAMConsultingEngineeringandManagementCo.LtdfortheProjectdevelopers,CH.KARNCHANGPublic

CompanyLtd.

By:DavidJ.H.Blake,PhDcandidate,SchoolofInternationalDevelopment,UniversityofEastAnglia,

U.K.Email:[email protected]

Foreword

Iwritethisshortreportingoodfaithasaconcernedmemberoftheinternationalcommunitywho

haslivedandworkedinNortheastThailandandLaoPDRforoveradozenyears,includingpostsasa

wetlandstechnicaladvisorwiththeIUCN(TheWorldConservationUnion)ontheMekongWetlands

BiodiversityConservationandSustainableUseProgramme(MWBP),asasmall-scaleaquaculture

extensionadvisorwithaUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme(UNDP)projectinXayaburi

ProvinceandanindependentresearcheronanumberofhydropowerprojectsintheMekong

Region.Beyondmyprofessionalinvolvementwithcommunitydevelopment,naturalresources

conservation,aquaculture,fisheriesandrurallivelihoodsrelatedprojectsandresearchsince1990,I

havespentcountlesshoursbeside,onandinthewatersoftheMekongRiverandappreciatingits

richanddiverseculturesfromnorthernLaoPDRdowntotheDelta.Icandeclareapersonal

attachmenttotheMekongthatisdeep,enduringandethereal.Hence,Iamonlytooconsciousofthefactthatitisnotonlyaneconomiclifelineformillionsofpeopledependentonitsnaturalbounty

fortheirlivelihoods;italsooccupiesthespirituallivesofmanyothersastheMotherofWaters.

Thus,eventhoughIcurrentlylivefarawayfromtheMekongsshores,IbelievethatItooshould

haveaminorstakeinthedecisionsthataremadetodayaboutwhatkindofconditionitishandedon

tofuturegenerations.Inshort,theMekongRivertranscendsitsgeographicalbordersandtouches

thelivesandthoughtsofunknownnumbersofpeoplearoundtheworld.

Contents

Foreword...............................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................2

CommentsoncontentofEIAregardinglivelihoods..............................................................................5

Generalcomments..............................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

Scopeofstudy.....................................................................................Error!Bookmarknotdefined.

CommentsoncontentofSIAregardinglivelihoodsandmitigationandcompensationmeasures

proposed..............................................................................................................................................14

MajorgapsanddeficienciesinEIA/SIA...............................................................................................18

Conclusions..........................................................................................................................................22


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BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................................................................................................................23

Summaryofmainpoints

TheEIAandSIAdocumentscompiledbytheconsultingcompanyhiredbytheprojectdeveloperare

ofastandardthatwouldbasicallybeunacceptableinmostnationsoftheworld,astheyaretoo

spatio-temporallynarrowinscope,lackimportantdetailanddonotadequatelytakeintoaccount

theseverityofimpactsanticipatedfromsuchamajorinfrastructureprojectonamajorinternational

river,thatisnotedasthemostimportantfreshwaterfisheryintheworld.Specifically,thefollowing

mainweaknessesnotedfromthetwodocumentsaresummarisedbelow:

TheimportanceandpivotalroleoflocalfisheriesontheMekongaspartoflocallivelihoodsarepoorlyunderstoodandundervaluedinthereports,perhapsduetoinadequate

assessmentmethodsandapproach.

TheextentofpredictedenvironmentalimpactsintheEIAisassumedtobeconfinedtojusttheimmediatedamareaandupstreamheadpond-reservoir,butignoresthefarwidereco-

hydrologicalimpactspredictedbyfisheryexpertsforlongdistancesupanddownstreamof

thedam.Asaresult,communitieslyingfurtherafieldwillbeimpactedthroughdiminished

livelihoodstoo,butarenotcurrentlyconsideredinthecompensationandmitigation

proposals.

Intermsofimpactseverity,theEIApredictsthatimpactswillvarybetweenmoderatefortheaquaticecology/fisheryandsurfacewaterqualitycomponents,tominorforallothercomponents(seeAnnex1).Inmostcases,itbelievestheseimpactswillbeconfinedtojust

theconstructionphaseandtherewillbefewongoingimpactsduringtheoperationphase,

bywhichtimelivelihoodswillhavebeenrestoredbyaresettlementprogramand

environmentalmanagementplan.TheexperienceatotherdamsintheMekongregion

suggeststhatthisisanover-optimisticassessmentandtheperiodoflivelihoodrestoration

maytakeseveraldecades,ifatall.

Mitigationmethodsproposedtorestoreimpactedmigratoryfisheriesareclearlyinadequateandplacetoomuchfaithinfishpasstechnology,whichhasprovedunsuccessfulontributary

damsandiswidelybelievedtobeunfeasibleontheMekongmainstream,whilefishstocking

hasneverbeenproventoworkatsuchreservoirs,whereriverinehabitatsaremassively

simplifiedanddegraded.

TheEIAandSIAdonotseemtohavetakenintoaccounteitherthelessonslearnedatotherprojectsintheregion(e.g.Theun-HinbounincentralLaoPDR;PakMuninNortheast

Thailand)termedasrun-of-riverprojects;orthewiderobservationsontherisks

associatedwithmainstreamdamscontainedintheMRCsStrategicEnvironmental

Assessment(SEA);orawiderangeofotherdocumentsavailableregionallyand

internationallyontheimpactsoflargedamsontropicalriversystemsanddependent

populations,thatmighthavehelpedtheconsultantscontextualisethedamslikelyimpacts

somewhatmoreaccurately.


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INTRODUCTION

Thecommentscontainedintheshortreportthatfollowsisasubmissiontothepriorconsultation

processoftheProceduresforNotification,PriorConsultationandAgreement(PNPCA),asoutlinedin

the1995MekongAgreement,signedbythefournationsoftheLowerMekongBasin,thatconstitute

theMekongRiverCommission(MRC).ThesecommentsaremadeinadvanceoftheMRCJoint

Councilmeetingtobeheldon19April2011toconsideradecisionconcerningtheXayaburi

HydroelectricPowerProjectinnorthernLaoPDR.Thecommentsprincipallyaddressthelivelihoods

aspectsoftheEnvironmentalImpactAssessment(EIA)andSocialImpactAssessment(SIA)submitted

byTEAMConsultingEngineeringandManagementCoLtd(henceforthTEAM)totheXayaburiproject

developerCh.KarnchangPublicCompanyLimited(henceforth,Ch.Karnchang),aspartofthe

statutoryrequirementsrelatingtolargeinfrastructuredevelopmentunderLaoPDRlaw.Both

documentsarepublicallyavailablefordownloadfromtheMRCswebsite

(http://www.mrcmekong.org/)havingappearedonlyinlateMarch2011,althoughthedocumentsaredatedAugust,2010,suggestinganunacceptabledelayinreleasingthemintothepublicdomain,

andlessthanamonthbeforetheenddateofthepublicconsultation(PC)process.Hence,these

commentsaremadeinsomehasteandarenotsupposedtobecomprehensive,butonlypointout

someofthemajordeficienciesthatexistinthesedocuments.

TheEIAandSIAmakenoreferencetotheMRCsStrategicEnvironmentalAssessment(SEA)of

hydropowerprojectsonthemainstreamMekong,akeydocumentpreparedbetweenMay2009and

September2010,whenthefinalreportwaspublished.NeitherdotheEIA/SIAauthorsmakeuseof

theextensivecollectionofMRCstechnicalreportsdetailinglivelihoodsandenvironmentalissues,

especiallyrelatedtofisheries,withtheexceptionofone2002report.TheomissionofanyreferencetotheSEAdocument,itsfindings,conclusionsandrecommendations,manyofwhichwereavailable

andpartofapublicconsultationprocesswellbeforeTEAMsEIAandSIAwerecompletedisamatter

ofimportancethatcannotbeunderstated.ThediscrepanciesbetweentheEIAandSIAfindingsand

conclusionsintermsofpotentialdamimpactsonlivelihoodsofpeople,notjustlocallyinthe

immediatedamvicinity,butacrossnationalboundariesdownstreamtocommunitiesinThailand,

LaoPDR,CambodiaandVietNamaretoostarktobeignoredordownplayed.

SomepreliminaryremarksconcerningtheMekongRiverandlocallivelihoods

BeforeaddressingtheEIAandSIAdocumentsthemselves,itwouldbeinstructivetoraisesome

widelyacknowledgedgeneralfactsandcommonunderstandingsabouttheMekongRiverandits

crucialroleinthelivelihoodsofmillionsofpeople,livingbothnexttoorneartheriveranddirectly

dependentonitforincomeandsubsistence,orlivingmoredistantfromtheriverandlessdirectly

dependentonitsecosystemservices.ThesearegermanetoanydiscussionofanyMekong

mainstreamdamproject,duetotheimplicationstoanydisruptiontotheriversnaturalflowand

sedimentregimeandbarrierimpactstofishmigrations.Themostimportantareoutlinedbelow:


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ThelivelihoodsandfoodsecurityofthemajorityofpeoplelivingintheLowerMekongBasinarecloselylinkedtotheMekongRiversystemandthenaturalresourcesitsupports.

Approximately60millionpeopleliveintheLowerMekongBasin,mostlyinruralcommunitiesandmanyofwhomarevulnerabletoecosystemshockswithrelativelyfew

alternativelivelihoodchoicesopen,beyondurbanmigration.

TheMekongRiversystemisrecognisedtobethelargestfreshwaterfisheryintheworld,withanestimatedyieldof2.6milliontonnes.ThismakesitmoresignificantthantheNorth

Seafishery.

ThemajorityoftheMekongsvaluablefisheriesarebasedonlongandmediumdistancefishmigrationsforspawning,feedingandlife-cyclecompletionreasons,includingdownstream

eggandlarvaldrifts.

Thevalueofthefisheryisestimatedtobeworthover$3billionatfirst-salevalue.Thisexcludesavastregionalnetworkandindustryofvalue-addingandprocessingthatsee

Mekongfishandfishproductsmoveacrossnationalborderstofeedandemploypeople,

economicallysupportingcommunitieshundredsoreventhousandsofkilometresfromthepointofcapture.

TheincredibleproductivityoftheMekongscapturefisheriesarebasedonitsnaturalflowregime,orfloodpulse,withthetiming,durationandextentoffloodingcriticalto

maintaininglifecyclesandhabitatsofnumerouseconomicallyimportantspecies.Equally

importanttothefloodsaremaintenanceofdryseasonflowsanddeeppoolhabitatsintheir

naturalstate,thatactasrefugesformanyspeciesoffish.

Alteredflow,nutrientandsedimentregimesassociatedwithso-calledrun-of-riverdamsorbarragesonotherriversintheMekongBasinhavebeendocumentedascausinga90%

declineincatchesintheprojectarea,suchaswasrecordedatthePakMunDaminThailand.

Therehavebeenfrequentreportsofdeclinesinfishcatches(bothintermsofdiversityandquantitativemeasures)andotheraquaticresourcesharvestedaffectinglivelihoodsof

populationsinthepartsoftheMekongBasininnorthernThailandandLaoPDRsituated

downstreamofYunnan,sincethestartofadambuildingprogrammeinChinaintheearly

1990s.

Naturalfloods,seasonalflowsandsediment-nutrientregimesareconsideredessentialformaintainingsoilfertilityandnatural/agro-ecosystemproductivityandhealthonfloodplain

wetlandsystemsintheLowerMekongBasin,includingthepopulousMekongDeltain

CambodiaandVietnam.Riceandothercropyields,alongwithmanywildplantsharvested

byripariancommunitiesarepartlydependentonthesedimentsandnutrientstransportedanddepositedbytheriverduringannualfloodingepisodes.

TheMRC(2010)StateoftheBasinreportnotes,DamsareabarriertofishmigrationsupanddownriversandmainstreamdamsinthemiddleandlowerreachesoftheMekong

couldaffectmorethanseventypercentoftheBasinscatch.Fishpassesandother

mitigationmeasuresareregardedaslargelyineffectualandproblematicwithfishmigrations

ofthecomplexityanddamsofthescaleandheightproposedfortheMekong.Therearefew

mitigationsuccessstoriesintheregiontodrawfrom,butmanyfailures.

Theriverisfacingnumerousenvironmentalthreatsbeyondthoseposedbydamsalone,buttheimpactsofdamsandotherflow-blockingbarrages(mainstreamandtributary)both


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compoundandaddtotheseotherthreats,simplifyingcomplexecosystemsthatsupport

humanandnaturallifefarbeyondtheimmediateconfinesoftheriveritself.

TheSEAhasrecommendedthatanydecisiontoproceedwiththeproposedmainstreamdamsispostponedforatleasttenyears,untiltheimplicationsofbuildingevenasingledam

acrosstheMekongarebetterunderstood.

Itisagainstthisbasiccontextandsetofunderstandingsabouttheresourceanddependenthuman

populationsthatIexaminetheEIA/SIAdocuments.Onemighthaveimaginedthatacknowledging

someoralloftheseeasilyobtainablefactualstatementswouldhavebeenthestartingpointfor

objectivelyandimpartiallyexaminingthepotentiallivelihoodimpactsoftheXayaburiHydropower

Projectfortheconsultantsthemselves,giventheresponsibilitiesandriskstheirtaskentailed.But

apparently,theypreferredtoapproachthewiderMekongRiverinavirtualinformationvacuumthat

mighthavebeenappropriateforadomesticThaidamprojectsomethirtyyearsagoandchooseto

ignorethewealthofinformationresourceseasilyavailablefromasimpleInternetsearchorinthe

MRClibrary,forinstance,thattheymighthavedrawnontoatleastmaketheirreportappearslightly

moreintellectuallyhonestandcredible.

CommentsoncontentofEIAregardinglivelihoods

Sectionsofreportwithpassagesrelatingtolivelihoodscomponentconsideredrelevant:

Chapter4: ExistingEnvironmentalConditions

Chapter5: EnvironmentalImpactAssessment

Chapter6: MitigationMeasures

Chapter7: MonitoringProgram

Chapter8: ConclusionsandRecommendations

ThefirstimmediateobservationisthattheEIAreportisverysparseondetailconcerninglivelihoods

impactsoftheproposeddamproject.Atthesametime,itcontainsmuchinformationthatisfrankly

irrelevant,out-dated,toogeneralorofmarginalimportancetoanyonewishingtolearnaboutwhatthedamsmainenvironmentalimpactsarelikelytobeandwhattheseimplytothelivelihoodsof

affectedpopulations.Wholesectionsorfieldsofcriticalinformationnormallyrequiredtomakean

evenpartly-informeddecisionregardingsuchacostly,complexandwide-reachinginfrastructure

projectappeartobemissing.Itisclearlybasedonaverylimitedtimeframeoffieldwork,thatwould

nothaveallowedmorethanafleetinginsightintothelivesofthepeopleandcommunitiestobe

impacted,orhowtheirlivelihoodsrelatetoanddependontheriverineandterrestrialresourcesto

beimpacted.Inshort,itlacksintellectualdepth,breadthandrigourinmethodologyandanalysis.

Somemajorlimitationsidentified:


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Geographicalandtemporalscopeofstudy

TheEIAteamconductedspatiallyandtemporallyverylimitedfieldworkandconsideredimpacts

arisingoverafractionoftheprobableimpactzonesarisingfromtheproject.Thesearenotedbelow,

underthesectionheadersprovidedintheEIA:

AquaticEcology,FisheriesandAquaculture(Section4.2.1)

Conductedafieldworksurveyatjust6sitesintotal.Thesearelocatedinarangestretchingonthe

mainstreamfromjust2kmsdownstreamoftheproposeddamsiteto20kmsupstream.No

samplingtookplaceontributariesatall.Thisisinadequatetomakeanyconclusionsaboutthelocal

fisheries,muchlessthelargerpictureaboutpotentialimpactsalongtheXayaburitoLuangPrabang

stretchoftheMekongriver.Basedonthefactthatthereservoirheadpondextends102kms

upstreamfromthedamandtheimpactzonesfromthedamwillextendmanyhundredsof

kilometresupstreamanddownstreamofthedam,affectingfishmigrationsandaquaticecologyin

general,theneverysinglevillageinthevariousimpactzonesupstreamanddownstreamfromthe

damshouldbesurveyedin-depth.Thiswouldbeusualpracticeinanytransboundaryimpactproject

EIA.ThiswouldimplysurveyingvillagesinbothLaoPDRandThailandtogetareasonablebaseline

pictureofthecurrentsituationfromwhichtopredictimpacts.

Thesurveyswereconductedoveraperiodofjust3days(23-25November,2007)intheearlydry

seasonand4daysinthelatedryseason(10-14March,2008),whichisaninadequatetimeperiodto

getmorethanabriefsnapshotoffisheriesactivityandimportance.TheEIAteamconductedlimited

netsamplingoffishpopulationsatahandfuloflocationsonly.Thecapturefisheriescomponent

shouldnormallybestudiedindepthacrosstheentireimpactzonesupstreamanddownstreamover

everymonthandflowcondition,ideallyduringthecourseofperhaps5-6yearsminimumperiodto

establishabaseline.Periodscoincidingwithpeakfishmigrationsareparticularlyimportantand

requireaspecialfocus.Withoutsuchharddata,theprojectdeveloperswillinevitablyopen

themselvesuptocriticismandpossiblelaterclaimsforcompensationfromfishingcommunitiesand

otherstakeholdersthatbelievetheyhavesufferedlossesasaresultofthedamsoperations,bothin

andoutsideofLaoborders.Thedeveloperthereforeneedstobefullyawareofbaselinefisheries

dataagainstwhichclaimsmightbejudged.

TerrestrialEcology(Section4.2.2)

ForestResources:

Temporally,thesurveyworkforthissectionappearstohavebeencompletedinjusta5-dayperiod

inJanuary2008.Nofurtherfollow-upworkisnoted.TheEIAestimatesthatover57km 2oflandwill

belosttotheconstructioncampandassociatedarea,damsitearea,transmissionlinecorridorand

newaccessroad(p.3-3)duringtheconstructionphase(8years),buttheimplicationsofthisarenot

properlyinvestigatedintheEIA.

Thissectionusessamplingmethodsthatarenotfitforpurpose,astheydidnotinvolvethe

participationofvillagersandwerenottriangulatedagainstothermorebalancedmethods.The

estimateof165speciesofplantsinthefloodimpactedzoneofthereservoirislikelyaseriousunder-


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estimate,giventheknownfar-widerplantbiodiversityfoundinMekongriparianvegetation

communitieselsewhere 1.

WildlifeResources:

BasedonfieldsurveyworkcarriedoutinJanuary2008only(numberofdaysnotspecified).Only

considers4majorvertebrateclassesbirds,mammals,amphibiansandreptiles.Identifiesmostly

commonandabundantspecies.Likelyanunder-estimateofactualwildlifediversitypresentinarea

surveyed,andreliestooheavilyondirectobservationandnotenoughonvillagerinformation,which

surelywouldhaveincreasedthespecieslistconsiderably.Doesnotspecifyhabitatlocationsof

speciesidentifiedandappearstoconfinestudytotheimmediatevicinityofdamsiteandpossibly

alongheadpond.Doesnotconsiderimpactofaccessroads,contractorscamp,transmissionline

routeandothergrossdisturbanceaspectsexpectedfromdamproject.

LandUse/Agriculture(Section4.3.1)

StudyonlyscopedvillagesupstreamofdamsitesituatednexttoMekongRiverlyinglowerthan275

masl.Thiscoveredonly10villagesandakilometre-widestretchalongbothbanksoftheriver

upstreamofthedam,thatwasapparentlysurveyedinjust3days.Table4.3.1-1notesthatthe

surveydidnotincludewithintheriverchannelitself,thusexcludingriverbankvegetablegardens

fromthesurvey,animportantpartofvillagerlivelihoodsinthedryseason(eventhoughtheseagro-

ecosystemsarerepresentedinphotos).Theresultsgivenareverysuperficialandatagrosslevelof

analysis,notbrokendownbyvillageandriverreachastheyshouldbe.Itappearstototallydisregard

villagesdownstreamofthedamasbeingimpactedbyalteredflowregimesaffectingdryseason

riverbedandbankagricultureanddoesnotadequatelyrepresentvillageslyingfurtherupstream

thannearBanXalanandBanXinginLuangPrabangprovince.

Mineralresources(Section4.3.2)

ScantandirrelevantsecondarydataprovidedonmineralresourcesfoundelsewhereinLaoPDR,

withminimalempiricaldatafromtheimpactzone.Mentionsjustonesinglevillageinafewphotos

BanPakPhairecordingvillagerssievingforgoldalongthebanksofMekongindryseason.No

attempttospatiallyortemporallyrecordtheactivitiessurroundingthisorotherlocalmineral

resources,thatwillbeimpactedbythedamproject,eitherupordownstream.Forexample,useof

sand,gravelorrocksfromtheriverchannelforlocalconstructionarenotrecorded,whichcould

haveaseriousknock-oneffecttolocaldevelopmentoptionsiftheywerelost.

Transportation&Navigation(Section4.3.3)

1Forexample,JamesMaxwellidentified731speciesofplantfromtheSiphandonewetlandsinsouthernLaoPDRduring1997-98,albeitfromanareaofhigherhabitatdiversity(Daconto,2001).


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Providesonlysuperficialprimarydata,coupledwithsomeverygeneral,secondaryinformation,that

isoflimiteduseinunderstandingprojectimpactsonpeopleslivelihoods.Mostlyfocusedonlarger

commercialboattransportation.Nobreakdownofboatownership(includingfishingboats)and

trafficbyvillage(localorcommercial),withimportancetohouseholdsocio-economicsorwider

economy.Whowillbeimpacted,where,forhowlongandhow?Willthedamimpairriverboat

trafficorwillitbefacilitatedbyhigherwaterlevels?Willnewaccessroadsmaketravelandtransport

fromvillagessimpler,faster,cheaperorwillsomevillagesorhouseholdsloseout?Willtheelevated

waterlevelsfloodexistingroadsoraccessroutesandifso,where?Whatwillbethesocio-economic

impactontheferrycrossingareaatThaDeua?Willfluctuatingflowscausedbydiurnalchangesin

powergenerationhaveanoperationalimpactonboattrafficandsafetyofpeopleandproperty

downstream?Willunderwaterhazards(e.g.rockoutcropsandreefs)becomemoredangerousto

navigation?Howwillimpactsbefeltamongstdifferentsocio-economicgroups?

ImpactspredictedinEIA

AquaticEcology,FisheriesandAquaculture(Section5.2.1)

Thereportmistakenlybelievesthat:Transformationofthehabitatofariverwithrapidsintoto

standingecosystem[sic]duetoimpoundmentwillnotoccurforXayaburiHydroelectricPower

Projectduetorun-of-the-riverscheme.Thislow-impactmythofrun-of-riverdamsisnot

supportedbyanyevidenceandifTEAMconsultantswouldlikesomeevidenceoftheimpactsof

rapidsbeingtransformedbysuchprojects,thentheyneedgonofurtherthanstudytheWorld

CommissiononDamsreportonthePakMunDam(Amornsakchaietal,2000)andmanyotherstudiesdoneshowingmultiple,seriousimpactsfromsuchlowstoragedams(e.g.Roberts1993;

2001).Thereportauthorsarealsolabouringunderseveralothercommonmisconceptions,not

supportedbyevidenceintheMekongBasin,namelythatfishproductivitywillbeimprovedinthe

upstreamheadpond,thattheriverinespeciesfoundintheMekongriverinthatareaareadaptable

toreservoirconditions,thatbiodiversitywillnotbeadverselyimpactedbythehabitatandflow

changescausedbythedam,andthatfisherswillbeabletosimplyadapttheirfishingtechniquesand

toolstotakeadvantageofthenewfisheryconditions.Allofthesearefallaciousandhavebeen

debunkedmanytimesbefore,butarestillpersistentamongsthydropower-tameconsultants.The

EIAalsomistakenlyassumesthatafishpassfacilitywillallowpassageofMekongfishmigrations

overaheightdifferentialof24m,somethingwhichmostexpertsconcurishighlyunlikely(referto

ICEM,2010).ThenetresultofthesemisconceptionsisthattheEIAisunabletopredictthelikely

impactstofisheriesandaquaticresourcesthatwilloccur,ifthedamprojectisallowedtoproceed.

Therefore,thedeveloperitselfandtheLaogovernmentdecision-makersarebeingpoorlyservedby

notbeingprovidedwithcorrectandfactualinformation2.However,mostatriskfromthepoor

qualityassessmentworkofTEAMarethehundredsofcommunitiesacrossnationalboundariesthat

2Bycontrast,theFisheriesExpertGroupwhocontributedtothePriorConsultationProjectReviewReportof

theMekongRiverCommissionSecretariatfoundthat,theproposeddamandreservoiratXayaburicould

affectbetween23and100speciesincludingfiveintheIUCNRedlistofThreatenedSpeciesandcouldpossiblyleadtotheextinctionofthenaturallyoccurringGiantMekongCatfish,whichwouldnotbeabletomigratepast

thedam,evenwithafishladderinplace.


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willbeseverelyimpactedasaresultofthedamprojectproceeding,andmaywelldemand

compensationfromthedeveloperatalaterdate.

TheEIAfailstoadequatelyconsiderdirectandindirectimpactsofotheraspectsofthehydropower

projectonaquaticresourcesandfisheries,especiallyroadbuildingandtransmissionline

constructiononstreamsandotherwatercourses,whichisaseriousoversight.

TerrestrialEcology(Section5.2)

Forestresources:

Expectsimpactstobeminorandlocalised.Onlyconsidersandvaluesdirectlossoftreesto

constructionactivityandalongbanksofheadpondinfloodzone.Seriouslyunderestimatesserious

impactsonlocalcommunitiesthatrelyontheseresources,inparticularthelossanddegradationof

non-timberforestproducts(NTFPs) 3.Mistakenlyassumestherewillbesomepositivebenefitsof

raisedwaterlevelsgreeningriparianforestandincreasingbiodiversity.

Wildliferesources:

Believesimpactsonwildliferesourceswillbeatalowlevel.Butasithaslikelyseriously

underestimatedthelocalbiodiversity(quantitativelyandqualitatively)bybeinghighlyselectiveinits

surveymethods,thenitwillalsobeunderestimatingtheimpactsonlivelihoodsofcommunitiesand

households.Theseimpactscouldbeexpectedtobeseriousatthelocallevel,especiallynearthe

damsiteandalongtheaccessroad,notonlybyconstructionactivitiesdirectly,butbyincreased

huntingpressureonbothaquaticandterrestrialwildlifebythousandsofconstructionworkersandcampfollowersbroughtintotheareaoveranumberofyears,whichwillhaveasignificantripple

effectonwildlifedepletioninSayabouryandLuangPrabangprovincesfarbeyondtheimmediate

damsiteandheadpond.Thiswillinevitablyaffectlocallivelihoodsandfoodsecurity.Theredoesnot

appeartobeanymentionofissuessurroundingtheenvironmentalimpactsofandsubsequent

managementoftheconstructioncampandattendantfollowerissuesintheEIA,duringthe7-8year

predictedconstructionphase.Thiswillcausemultipleandseriousimpacts,especiallyonwildlife

resourcesthatwillhaveafootprintfarwiderthanpresentlyrecognisedinthedocuments.

LandUse/Agriculture(Section5.3.1)

Recognisessomelossoflivelihoodbenefitstovillagersfromlossanddegradationofagricultural

land,forestresources,biodiversity,accessandgrazinginthevillagesthatloselandtoconstruction

activitiesandreservoirflooding.Assumesimpactsareminorandlocalised.Doesnotquantifythese.

Statesthat10villagesonlywillhavetopartiallyortotallyresettle.NotesthatthevillagesofBan

KhokYai,BanHouayXong,BanPakLanofNanDistrict,LuangPrabangwillhavetoberelocated

entirelyduetoflooding.Describesthisimpactasmoderate.Mentionsthat29villageswilllosedry

seasonvegetablegardenstothereservoir.Doesnotquantifythese.

3SomeofthemoreimportantNTFPsarenotedbrieflyintheSIAonp.4-13to4-15,butthescaleoftheircontributionstolocallivelihoodsisnotadequatelyassessed.


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Describesimpactsofaccessroadsandtransmissionlineconstructionasbeingoflowlevelduring

constructionandoperationperiod.Doesnotquantifythese.Failstodescribeimpactofconstruction

camp/sonlocallanduse,agricultureandlivelihoods.

MineralResources(Section5.3.2)

Statesthattherewillbeimpactsfromfloodinginthereservoirzoneonlyon25villageswherepeople

areinvolvedindryseasongoldpanning.Doesnotquantifynumberofhouseholdsorincomes.Does

notmentiondirectcompensationforlossoflivelihoodopportunity,butrecommendsincome

restorationactivitiesbecarriedout.Believesoverallimpactsduringdamconstructionandoperation

willbeminor.Ignorespotentialimpactsdownstreamtogoldpanningandothermineralabstraction

activitiesallalongtheMekong,suchasdiggingsand,gravelandrocks4.

Transportation/Navigation(Section5.3.3)

EIAbelievesthattherewillbemoderatelevelimpactsonrivernavigationduringconstructionperiod

duetoobstructionofboats,butrivertransportationwillreturntonormalduringdamoperationdue

toinstalmentofnavigationlockatbarragethatwillaccommodateboatsupto60tonnes

deadweight.Doesnotspecifywhethersmall,localboatswillhavetherightsofpassageorhowthey

willbeimpactedbythismassiveconstructionproject?Containsverylittleinformationfromwhichit

ispossibletodrawanyconclusionsconcerninglivelihoodsofthosehouseholdsthatrelyonthe

Mekongfortransportationandfishing,includingthebasisforlowlevelimpactpredictedbythe

EIA.

PublicHealthandNutrition(Section4.4.1)

Thissectionhasverylittletoreportonthelinksbetweentheaquaticandterrestrialnatural

resourcesthatwillbedirectlyimpactedbythedamandhumanhealthandnutrition.Thisisa

remarkableoversight.

InSection5.4.1,theEIAsuperficiallynotessomeofthenegativesocialandhealthimpactsalarge-

scaledamconstructionprojectcanbringtolocalcommunities.Theseareofaverygenericnature

andarenotdealtwithinsufficientdetailorscopetogivearealisticpicture,giventhescaleand

budgetoftheproject.Likewise,itunderstatesthepotentiallevelofsocio-economicimpacts

resultingfromtheaccessroadand200kmhighvoltagetransmissionlineconstructionand

subsequentoperationonnearbycommunities,whichcancausearangeoflivelihoodandpublic

healthexternalities.

4ThisissueispickedupintheSIA,whereitisnotedthatinBanHouayDua,NanDistrict(p.4-10)localpeople

digsandandgravelbetweenJanuarytoMayeachyear,earninganincomeofabout50,000

kip/household/day.InBanPakKhon,NanDistrict,(p.4-16)theaverageincomefromsandandgravelextractionisnotedtobeonaverage200,000kip/hh/dayandthereisonecommercialsanddiggingconcessionherewhich

reportedlyearnstheowner350millionkipperannum.


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Aesthetic/Tourism/Archaeology(Section5.4.2)

Includessomeirrelevanthistoricalandtourist-orientedinformationofthesortthatcanbefoundin

guidebooksforareasofLaoPDRlyingoutsidetheimpactzones,butverylittleharddataofdirectrelevancetotheriverstretchinquestionandupstream/downstreamimpactsofdamproject.Inthe

damsiteareaandupstreamalongthereservoirimpactzonetheEIAprovidessomelowquality

generalinformationonacoupleofculturalortourism-relatedsites,butgivesnorealsenseoftheir

socio-economicorculturalimportance.Itisnotedhowever,thatthereappearstobeariversidesite

(namedPhaDaeng)ofsomeculturalandspiritual/religioussignificancelocatedjustupstreamof

thedamsite.ApparentlytheChaoPhoPhaDaengshrineandmuchofthelowerpartofthesite

wouldbeinundatedbythereservoir(p.5-25).Inaddition,alltempleslyingbelowanaltitudeof280

mwillbeinundated,accordingtotheEIA.AnimportantculturalsiteinfrontofChompetTemple

oppositeLuangPrabang,usedduringtheNewYearsfestivitiesbytownspeopleandtourists,would

befloodedbythereservoirandlostforfutureuse.

OtherQualitativeaspectsoffindings

Unsystematicdatagathering-TheEIAappearstohavecopiedsectionsverbatimfromMRCreports

5,oftenwithlittleornorelevancetothelocalstudybutofaverygeneralnature.It

providesnexttonoaquaticecologydatafromthelocalareaupstreamanddownstreamof

thedaminthedirectimpactzone,nordetailsofhowlocalcommunitiesutilisethe

biodiversityaspartoftheirlivelihoods.Theauthorsappeartohavehadlittleexperienceinaskingtherightquestions,collectingthedatanecessaryforafisherycomponent,or

appreciatingthescaleoftheproblemtheyareconfrontedwithinassessingsuchalargeand

importantriversystem.

Lowconfidencelevelindata-Itclaimsonly37speciesoffishwerecaughtduringitssampling,allofasmallsize,whichisbutafractionofthefishbiodiversityknowntoinhabit

thissectionoftheMekong,thushighlightingtheinadequacyoftheirsamplingmethod6.

Theycouldhaveeasilyfoundahigherfishspeciesrangebysamplingthefishinggearoflocal

fishersandlocalmarkets,thatwouldhaveprovidedafarbetterindicatorofthefisheries

diversity.Onemightexpectfishbiodiversityofatleast150speciescouldbeidentifiedwithin

afewdaysofsurveysbyrecognisedexpertsworkingwithlocalfishersalongthisstretch.

TEAMfailedtoprovideanydatawhatsoeveraboutlocalfishingmethodsandspeciescaught,

catchyields,incomesfromfishandotheraquaticorganisms,numbersoffullandpart-time

fishers,genderquestions,householdfishconsumption,fishmarketsorahostofother

relevantinformationrelatedtolocalfishinglivelihoods,atthepresenttimeandhistorically.

Whatlittledatathatisprovidedistotallyinadequateandpoorqualityinformationforany

5NB:NotallreportscitedareactuallylistedintheEIAReferencelist,whichcontainsonlyfourcitations.

6

ItshouldbenotedthattheSIAreportsthatfishinghouseholdscatchonaverage5kg/hh/timefromtheMekongatBanKhokYai,Nandistrict,comparedagainsttheEIAsfishsamplingteamseffortsatsixstations

overthreedaysnettingtocatchjust3.15kgoffish(seeTable4.1.2-6inEIA)


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degreeofconfidenceinlikelydamimpactstobemade,evenattheverylocallevel(i.e.unfit

forpurpose).

WhileclaimingthatfishbiodiversityislowintheMekongrivernearthedamsite(p.6-8),theEIAmakestheunsupportedclaimthatthefisheriesactivitiespresentlypracticedhave

negativeimpactonbiodiversity.Thisblamingoflocalfishersforresourcedegradationis

somewhatironic,giventhattheyareapparentlyunawareofthelimitationsoftheirown

samplingtechniquesforuncoveringfishbiodiversity,northemagnitudeoftheimpactsa

largedamwouldhaveifbuiltonthemostimportantfreshwaterfisheryonearth.

EIAfailstoassessorrecordthemanyotheraquaticfaunaandflorathatarewell-knowntoformanimportantpartofthelivelihoodsofMekonglowlandcommunities,intermsof

nutritionandincome,includingamphibians,insects,crustacea,andplantspecies,including

theediblefreshwateralgae(kai)foundintheMekongandwidelypreservedandsoldduring

thedryseasonmonths.

FailuretoidentifyfoodsecurityaspectsoffisheriesthelimitedinformationintheEIAhasfailedtoprovideanysoundinformationrelatingtolocalfoodsecurityquestionsandsubstitutabilityoffoodandproteinintakefromfish,presentlycaughtatrelativelylow

opportunitycost,withotherformsofanimalprotein.Thiswouldneedathoroughsurvey

doneathouseholdleveltoobtainbaselinedataacrossalargenumberofcommunities,from

whichlatersurveyscanbecomparedagainst,toascertainimpactwithanydegreeof

confidence.

Failuretorelatethestudywithanyotherknownimpactstudiesfromotherdamsintheregion,inordertomakepredictivestatementsaboutpotentialimpacts.Thisisespecially

surprising,asTEAMconductedtheoriginalEIAforthePakMunDaminThailand,whichhasa

largebodyofstudiesrelatedtofisheriesimpacts,bothinthepublicsphereandavailable

fromtheThaiDepartmentofFisheries,whichmighthavehelpedthemtounderstandthe

kindoforderofmagnitudeofimpactstoexpectfromasimilartypeofdamdesign.Theyalso

havefailedtoreadtheimpactspredictedfromregionalfisheryexpertscontributingtothe

SEAdocument,whichwouldhavegiventhemsomeperspectiveontheissue.

TheEIAgivesdifferentlengthsfortheheadpond-reservoiratvariouspointsinthetext,varyingbetween45kmsand102kms 7long.Therewasclearlysomeconfusionamongstthe

differentcomponentauthorsaboutwhattheywereactuallyassessingonthisverybasic

pointoffact,thusprovidinglowconfidenceintheoverallqualityofthereportsfindings.

MitigationMeasuresproposed

AquaticEcology&Fisheries

Themainfisherymitigationmeasuresproposedarebuildingtwofishpassesatthedamand

operatingarestockingprogrammeinthenewlycreatedreservoir,includingbuildingastate-

operatedfishhatchery.TheEIAalsoproposescontrollingandcurtailingfisherymethodsbylocal

people,suggestingthattheyarethemainsourceofanyfisherydeclinesnotedfortheriver.The

clearmessagegivenbyfisheryexperts,suchasthosecontributingtotheSEA,isthatthemitigation

7TheSEAassumesthereservoirwillbe102kmslong.ThePriorConsultationProjectReviewReportpredicts

thattherewillbeabackwatereffectcausedbythedamofupto200kmsupstreaminlow-waterconditions,thusinundatingchannelhabitatandpossiblyriverbankagricultureareasthatwouldotherwisehavebeen

productive.


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ofdamimpactsonlargefishmigrationsupanddowntheMekongisvirtuallyimpossible,apartfrom

onaratherlimitedbasis 8.ThemitigationmeasuresproposedintheEIAstronglyreflectthefactthat

theauthorsappearnottobefullyawareofthelevelandextentofimpactsonfisheriestobe

expectedfromthedamproject.Furthermore,thereislittleevidencefromotherdamsintheregion

(e.g.Theun-HinbounheadpondorPakMunDam)thatthemeasuresproposed,suchas

supplementarystocking,willhavemorethanalimitedbenefittorestoringfishpopulations,dueto

thedegradedcarryingcapacityoftheriverineenvironmenttosupportinghealthyfishpopulations.

Fishingbasedlivelihoodsarelikelytodeclinerapidly,onceconstructionbegins,andnoamountof

effortonthepartofthedevelopersislikelytorestorethem.Otherlivelihoodoptionswillneedtobe

substitutedforfishing,inotherwords.

TerrestrialEcology

Forestresources: Suggeststhereisonlyneedforsomeminormitigationmeasurestobe

conductedduringconstructionperiodandnoneduringtheoperationphaseofdam.Ignoresongoing

lossofecosystemservicesandmultipurposebenefitsfromforestsforlocallivelihoodsthatwouldbe

causedbydamconstructioninthereservoirfootprint,alongthetransmissionlineandroad

corridors.

Wildliferesources: Providesnoworthwhilemitigationmeasuresduringconstruction,and

recommendszeromitigationduringoperationphase.Clearlymisunderstandsthescaleandnatureof

impacts,bothtowildlifeanddependenthumanpopulations.Seemstohavelittleconceptof

ecosystemservicesprovidedbyeitherhealthyterrestrialoraquaticecosystems.

LandUse/Agriculture(pleaserefertotheSectionbelowcoveringthisissueintheSIAHowdoes

theSIAproposetocompensateforlostornegativelyimpactedlivelihoods?)

MineralResources

Villagerslosingincomefromlostgoldpanningopportunities9intheMekongchannelarenottobe

compensateddirectly,butwilljointheincomerestorationprogrammeofthedamdeveloper,no

doubtinconjunctionwithGovtofLaoPDR.Therecordofsuchprogrammesisverypatchyindeed,

andtherearemanyrecordedinstancesoffailureandfurtherimpoverishmentresulting(seeInternationalRivers,2008).

Transportation/Navigation: ThemitigationmeasuresmentionedinEIAignoreorareessentially

irrelevanttolocallivelihoodimpacts.

8Thecontentiousnatureofattemptingtomitigatemassiveseasonalfishmigrationswithafishpassfacilityis

dealtwithindetailintheFisherychapteroftheSEAandAnnex4ofthePriorConsultationProjectReview

Report(MekongRiverCommissionSecretariat,2011)9TheSIAhouseholdsurveyestimatesthat840h/hinvolvedingoldsievingand130h/hinvolvedinsand

extractionwillbeimpactedinthereservoirarea.


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Aesthetic/Tourism/Archaeology

Themitigationmeasuresproposedappearverysuperficialandtop-down,withnoindication

whethertheywouldbeattractiveorfeasibleforthelocalpeopleimpacted.Forexample,itproposesjustrelocatingtheChaoPorPhaDaengshrinenearthedamsitetothecavefurtherupthehillside

andsimplyrelocatingtemplestotheresettlementvillages.Havetheseproposalsbeenmadewith

thefullandinformedconsentoftheaffectedparties?Dotheaffectedvillagersfullyunderstandthe

implicationsofthedamimpacts?Dotheyrealisethepotentialimpactsontheirlivelihoods?Arethey

equippedwithenoughknowledgetomakeanydecisionsaboutthesemajorissues?Areallthe

townsfolkofLuangPrabang(includingmonksandreligiousfigures)andthepeoplewhomaketheir

livingthereforaweekorsoeachyearduringtheNewYearfestivalawarethattheywilllosethe

commonlandonwhichthefestivitieshavetraditionallybeenheld?

CommentsoncontentofSIAregardinglivelihoodsandmitigationand

compensationmeasuresproposed

SomecriticalissuesthatariseoutoftheSIA,followingonfromthepoorqualityofinformation

relatedtolivelihoodimpactspresentedintheEIA.

Wherearetheprojectimpactareasorzones?

TheSIAassumesthemtobe:

Thedamsiteandappurtenancestructure Thepondareai.e.theheadpond-reservoir ThenewbuiltaccessroadfromnorthofXayaburitowntotheMekongRiverandthensouth

alongthebanksofthenewreservoirtothedamsite.

Transmissionline Resettlementarea/s Otherconcernedarea/stobeimpactedbyprojectconstructionandoperation

Inotherwords,areasbeyondtheconfinesoftheimmediatedamsite,reservoir,accessroadandtransmissionlinecorridorarenotconsideredproject-impacted.Thus,theMekongRiverupstreamof

thereservoiranddownstreamofthedamisignored,eventhoughleadingexpertsandspecialists

fromaroundtheworldrecognisethesetobeimpactzones.

Howmanyvillages,howmanypeoplewillbeimpactedbydam?

ThissimplequestionisnotclearlyaddressedintheSIA.Section4.1ProfileofAffectedDistrictsand

Villagesclaimsthat46villagesinNan,LuangPrabangandChompetDistrictsofLuangPrabang

Province,andXayaburiDistrictofXayaburiProvincewillbeimpacted(seeTable4.1-1).Theseare


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villagesapparentlysituatedatorbelow278masl10.Thetablesuggeststhat458householdswillneed

tobephysicallyrelocatedasaresultofthedamandreservoir,while3,582householdswillloseland,

propertyandincometothereservoir,constructionareasoraccessroad.Thetabledoesnotspecify

thenumberofindividualswhowillhavetoberesettled,nordoesitgiveanyindicationofthe

proportionofhouseholdsineachvillagethatwillloselandorpropertytothedamproject.No

accountoflandorpropertylosttothepowertransmissionsystemisgiven.Inotherwords,

importantdetailsareverysparse.

Table4.2-1onp.4-34contradictsthisearlierdatabysuggestingthatinfact,494householdswill

needtoberelocated.10villageswillhavetoberelocated,whileanother19villagesarepredictedto

loselandtotheproject,mostlyduetoinundationbythereservoir.

Timeframeofstudy

Frominformationprovidedonp.4-7(Socio-economicconditionsofvillages),itappearsthatthe

entirefieldsurveywasconductedoveratotalperiodof22daysonly.Ofthistime,itappearsonly

fourdayswerespentonahousehold-levelsurvey(p.4-34).Thisisclearlyinsufficienttimeto

accuratelygaugethesocio-economicconditionswithinthe46villagesitrecognisesasbeing

impacted,nevermindthevastnumberofMekongvillagesupstreamanddownstreamandthewider

impactzonesnotyetrecognisedasbeingpotentiallyimpactedbytheproject.Asaresult,theSIA

providesnomorethanathumbnailsketchofthevillagesandhouseholdsthatitclaimstohave

studied,andmuchoftheinformationwascontradictorywiththeEIAorlargelyirrelevantforthe

purposesoftheSIA.

Whatwasstudiedandconsideredimportantbythesurvey?

Whilethevillagesketchesprovidedsomeinformationregardingsocio-culturalissues,theywereless

detailedorspecificatdisaggregatingthevillagepopulationsandgivinganyrealsenseofwhich

householdsweremostvulnerabletosocio-economicimpactsfromthedamproject,howtheywould

beimpactedandwhy.Thesocio-economicinformationgivenwasofageneralnatureandrather

superficial,whichperhapsisnotsurprising,giventheshorttimeframeusedincollectingit.The

fisheriesandaquaticresourcesaspect,whichsurelyisthemostimportanttofocusongiventhe

anticipatedimpactsfromthedam,wasparticularlylackingindetailandpoorlypresented.

Importantlytoo,therewasnodisaggregationofethnicgroups,beyondtheverycoarseconstructions

ofLaoLoum,LaoTheungandLaoSoung,reinforcinganimpressionthattheSIAteamwerepoorly

qualifiedtobeconductingthiskindofsocialresearch.

Atthehouseholdsurveylevel(Section4.2),thevastmajorityofthepeopleinterviewedweremale

(74.9%)andheadsofhousehold(75.9%),meaningthatrelativelyfewwomenwereinterviewed.

10Table4.1-1ratherconfusinglytalksaboutvillagescategorizedbyimpact(at275mslandfreeboard275-278

msl),butdoesnotspecifytheexactaltitudeofeachvillageandtheproportionofhousesorlandlyingbelow

278masl.Themapsshowinginundationzones(Chapter5)onlyshowlandfloodedbelow275masl.ElsewhereintheEIA,thereportmentionslandbelow280maslbeingimpactedbyraisedwaterlevelsinthewetseason.

Thisdiscrepancyinheightsshouldbeexplainedbytheprojectdevelopers.


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MostoftheSIAiscomprisedoftheresultsofaconventionalquestionnaireapproachtodata

collection,withverylittlequalitativedataprovided.Itisinterestingtonotethat64.2%of

householdsclaimedtobeinvolvedinfishing,withareportedaveragecatchofapproximately180

kg/hh/year,wellabovethenationalaverageinLaoPDR.

WhatisthelevelofawarenessabouttheXayaburiHydropowerProject?

Datapresentedonp.4-42(InformationPerceptionandAttitudeTowardstheProject),suggests

thatabout60%ofpeopleinterviewedhadheardabouttheproject,and40%weretotallyunaware

oftheplan.Despitethishighlevelofunawareness,thesurveystillfoundthatareported82.6%of

therespondentswereinfavouroftheproject,andonly2%disagreedwithit,whiletherestwere

eithernotsureordeclinedtocomment.Thesefiguresareperhapsnotsurprising,giventhestrong

centralstatesupportforthisprojectproceeding,thereluctanceofpeopletocontradictstatepolicy

andthewidespreadlowlevelofawarenessabouttheimpactsofhydropowerdamsinLaoPDRgenerally.Afterall,mostpeoplehaveneverseenadam,muchlessexperienceditsimpactsdirectly.

Infact,alltheresultsofthesurveypresentedcanbeviewedinthelightoftheaboveobservations

andtreatedwithadegreeofscepticismofwhetherpeopleareansweringthequestionsfroma

positionofknowledgeornot.ThecommentsattributedtoprovincialstateofficialsinXayaburiand

LuangPrabangalsostronglysuggestedthattheywerenotawareofthenatureandextentofimpacts

tobeexpected,andtheimplicationofthoseimpactsonthesocio-economyoftheregion.

HowobjectiveorneutralwastheSIA?

TheobjectivityoftheSIAsurveyteamiscalledintoquestionbythefrankadmissioninthereport

thattheywereactivelyworkingfortheprojectdeveloperatpublicconsultationsabouttheproject

resettlementprogramtodeveloptheunderstanding,positiveattitudeandcooperative[sic]oflocal

peopletowardtheproject.Patently,TEAMconsultantswerenotinthefieldtoneutrallyor

scientificallyassessthelikelyimpactsoftheXayaburiHydropowerProjectonlocalcommunities,but

werepaidtoselltheprojecttothevillagers,whichnodoubttheyweregladtodo.Furthermore,itis

alsoobviousfromthedatapresentedintheSIAthattheyspentmoretimeconsultingwith

governmentofficialsandstaterepresentativesatvillagelevel,thantheydidwithordinaryvillagers

orPAPs(ProjectAffectedPersons).Withthedamapparentlybeinggovernmentpolicybeforethe

assessmentswereconducted,itraisesawkwardquestionsaboutthelikelihoodofpeoplefeelingfree

toexpressconcernsinanyso-calledpublicconsultation.Finally,thislackofneutralityand

objectivitybringsintoquestiontheveracityandreliabilityofthewholeEIAandSIAprocess.

WhataretheSIAsconclusionsaboutimpactstofisherieslivelihoods?

TheSIAteamconcludethattheprojectdevelopmentwillgeneratemorefertilerecourses[sic]in

MekongRiver(p.5-16),butbecausethewaterlevelwillbehigherthanatpresent,allthefishers


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needtodoisadjusttheirgearandmethodstofishindeeperwaterandtheywillbeabletocarryon

catchingfishlikebefore.Theyevenclaimthattheremaybemorefish,asthedeveloperswill

implementafishbreedingandreleaseprogramme,andthentrainthevillagerstobebetterfishers

totakeadvantageofthehigheryieldspossible.Notethenumberofpeopleimpactedisnotcounted,

asitbelievestheywillbenefit,notlosefromthedam.(Refertocommentsmadeelsewhereonthe

inadequacyoftheEIAfisheryandaquaticecologyassessmentandfindingsoftheSEAfishery

componenttounderstandwhythisbeliefoftheSIAconsultantsisfalseandmisleading).

HowdoestheSIAproposetocompensateforlostornegativelyimpactedlivelihoods?

Thecompensationandmitigationmeasuresproposedforvillagerswholoselandandproductive

agro-ecosystemstoconstructionandoperationofthedamisthattheycanbecompensatedfor

cropslost(notapparentforhowmanyyearsthiswillbeprovided)andthevegetablegardenscan

simplybemovedhigheruptheriverbanksandprovidedwithpumpedirrigationwaterouttheMekong.Farmlandwillbereplacedwithequallyproductivelandandtheywillbesupportedwith

incomerestorationprogrammes.Thisisanextremelypoorversionofastandardresponsebydam

developersintheregion,whobelievethatitisasaneasymattertojustrelocatewholevillages,

replacelostlandwithanequivalentparcelsomewhereelseandexpectincomerestoration

programmestoworkinaccordancewithsimplisticplansmadebyunaccountableanddistant

consultants.Therealityisalwaysmorecomplex,andsolittlethoughtseemstohavebeendevoted

tothiscomponent,thatitseemsalmostunbelievablethattheEIAhasprogressedtothisstage.For

theaccessroadsandtransmissionlinecorridor,theEIAbelievesminimummitigationmeasuresare

neededduringtheconstructionperiodandnotatallafterconstructionhasfinished.Norecognition

oftherightsofthevillagerstofullandfaircompensationforlostlandandproductionsystemsis

given.Norecognitionisgivenofthefactthatitwouldbeimpossibletoreplaceriverbankgardens

withsomethingequallyproductivefurtheruptheriverslopeprofileorwhatkindofimpactsextra

pressureonlandelsewherewouldcreate.TheexperienceatotherdamprojectsinLaoPDR,suchas

theTheun-HinbounHydropowerProject,oftryingtorestorelostriverbankgardensthrough

replacementgardensorsupportingdryseasonricecultivationhasnotbeensuccessfulinmost

instances.AlongtheNamHaiandNamHinbounrivers,manyreplacementgardenswereabandoned

afterafewyears,withvillagerscomplainingaboutflooddamage,lowproductivity,expensivewater

pumpingcosts,increaseddebtsandlimitedmarkets.Whowouldberesponsibleforpumpingan

increasedinputcostsforagricultureattheXayaburidamprojectisnotmadeexplicit.Nosenseof

thepracticalorlegalobstaclesthatwouldneedtobeovercomebeforesuchamovecouldsucceed,

ortheill-feelingthatmightresultfrompoorlyexecutedresettlement.Also,thelackofquantification

andclaritysurroundingthelevelofsocialandenvironmentalimpacts intoto,leavesonewithlittle

confidencethattheEIAauthorsevenhaveasimplegrasponimplicationsoftheissue.

TheSIAassumesthatthereareonly1,547householdsintotalwhowilllosetheirlivelihoodsasa

resultofthedam.Theseitproposes(p.6-2),tocompensateforthelose[sic]incomebyappropriate

livelihoodrestorationassistanceprogramssuchasprovisionofnewjobopportunitieswhich

generateincomeequaltotheexistingcareer,vocationaltrainingwillalsobeprovidedforthese

PAPs.Inotherwords,therewillbenocashcompensationpaid,unlikethesituationinThailand

where,forexamplevillagerswerepaidforlossoffisheryandriverbankgardenincomefollowingthe


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constructionofthePakMunDam.Unfortunately,therecordoflivelihoodrestorationprogrammes

inLaoshasbeenratherpoortodate,withmanyunsolvedproblemsandissuesatdamprojectssuch

asNamLeuk,NamTheun2andTheun-Hinboun(seeInternationalRivers,2008).Thelivelihood

restorationprogrammeproposedinSection6.1.3(p.6-4)seemsdestinedtorepeattheoldmistakes,

islimitedinscopeanddoesnottakeintoaccountthechallengesposedbysuchanoperation.The

samecouldbenotedfortheproposedMonitoringProgram(p.6-5),althoughitdoesatleastcallfor

external,independentmonitoringoftheprogramimplementationandimpacts.

Forlostpaddyland,croplandortreeplantations(e.g.teak),theSIAproposesprovidinglandforland

asthepreferredoption,notcashatmarketvalue,withoutaddressingwheresuchlandcouldbe

foundofasimilarqualitytotheoriginalorwhether,indeed,thiswasthepreferredoptionofthe

affectedhouseholds,fromtransparentconsultationsandnegotiations.Giventheobstaclestofinding

quality,unutilisedlandinthegeneralvicinityoftheprojectwhichismountainousandforested

mostly,frankly,thisislikelytobeanunsatisfactorysolutiontotheproblemandmaywellcreate

new,unanticipatedproblems,asopposedtofairmonetarycompensation,wherevillagerscan

decidewhattheywanttodowiththemoney.Thesameprinciplemightbetrueforcompensatingfor

lostanddamagedfisherylivelihoods,wherethereisnoequivalentalternative.

MajorgapsanddeficienciesinEIA/SIA

Thissectionraisesfurthergaps,weaknessesanddeficienciesintheEIAandSIAreports,not

identifiedaboveconcerninglinkswithlivelihoods.

FisheriesandAquaticEcology

Extremelylimitedandincompletedatafromlocalfishers,bothqualitativelyandquantitatively.Someincorrectfactualinformation(e.g.listing Cyprinuscarpioasmigratory

speciesintable4.2.1-1).Dataprovidedofvirtuallynouseatalltomakeanydecisionforthis

projectduetolackofcatchbreakdownsbyseason,month,method,gear,household,etc.

Limitedsocio-economicdatafordecision-makingpurposesprovidedatindividual,

household,village,districtorhigherorganisationallevels.Nofishconsumptionornutritional

study.Nomarketorcommoditychainanalysis11.Nodetailonfishprocessingandancillary

businessesrelatedtofishingasanactivitye.g.saleoffishinggearorsaltforprocessing.No

considerationofalternativelivelihoodoptions. Usesverylimitedandoutdatedsecondarydatasourcesandapparentlyhasnotscopedthe

widebodyofliteratureonthesubjectofMekongfisheries,frombodiessuchasMRCand

WorldFish,thatmightgivetheEIAatleastascrapofcredibility.Asitstands,onecan

concludethatnotonlydotheauthorshaveaverypoorfactualunderstandingofthetopic

theyhavebeentaskedtostudyandthattheyapparentlyarepoorlyqualifiedinthisfield,but

thattheyhavetakenverylittleeffortintryingtoexpandtheirknowledgebase,eitherfrom

11

Forexample,whenIworkedinXayaburiProvincebetween1997-99,IwitnessedanactivetradeinMekongriverfishbeingsoldtomarketsinLoeiprovince,Thailand,transportedbybothboatandvehicle,whilecheap

Thaifarmedfishspecies(e.g.tilapiaandcatfish)returnedtheotherwaytoLaomarkets.


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secondarysourcesordirectlyfromlocalfishersandresourceusers.Thisisfranklytheworst

fisherysectionofanyEIAthatIhavehadtheopportunitytoread.

ForestResources

UsesmethodsofassessingforestresourcestaughtinThaiforestryschoolsthatwereconsideredappropriateforcommercial,state-managedforestrymanagementinthepast,

whereforestsareonlyregardedasvaluableintermsoftheirsawntimberandstumpvalue.

Buttheseareinappropriateandoflittlevalueintryingtoassesslivelihoodvaluesofforest

resourcestolocalcommunitiesandhouseholds,especiallyforriverinewetlands

communitieslikethosetobeimpactedbytheXayaburiDam,whereitisthefunctionalvalue

ofecosystemservicesthatmatters.

Simplisticallyassumesthatforestsareonlyimportanttocommunitiesintermsoftheirstandingtimber,andfailstoassesstheirwidervaluestootherpartsoftheecosystem,either

locallyoratawiderbasinorregionallevel.Therefore,itmistakenlyassumesminorimpacts

fromlossesofjust5km2offorest(although,inrealityforestlosseswillcoveramuchgreater

areathanthis,whentheconstructioncampareaandtransmissionlinecorridorare

included).

LandUse&Agriculture

Detailed,villagebyvillagebreakdownoflandthatmaybeaffected,numberofhouseholdsimpacted,landtype,landvalue,landtenureregime,foodsecurityissuesandotherrelevant

socio-economicdataisabsent. Customaryusage,commonpropertyregimesandlanduserightsofvillages,focusing

especiallyonculturalandtraditionalaspects,overlooked.Identificationandimplicationsof

lossorimpairmentofaccessandrightstoland,onavillagebasis,duringandafterdam

constructionnotconsidered.

Clearinformationonvillagepublicandprivateinfrastructurethatwillbeimpactedandestimatedvaluesmissing.

Impactofelevatedwaterlevelsonriverbankgardens,livestockraising,collectionofwildvegetables,etcnotconsidered

Threatstoandimpactsonhouseholdandvillagedomesticwatersuppliesarenotinvestigatedorquantified.ExperiencesatseveralotherdamsitesinLaos(e.g.Theun-

HinbounandNamTheun2)showthatbothsurfaceandgroundwatersuppliestraditionally

usedbyvillagersareoftennegativelyimpactedbyhydrologicalchangesbroughtbydams.

MineralResources

Athoroughsurveyisrequiredoftheentirereservoirareaanddownstreamforperhapsseveralhundredkilometres(i.e.tobeyondtheThaiborderinLoeiprovince)ofwithin-

channelmineralresourceextractionactivitiesthatwillpotentiallybeimpactedbyaltered

waterlevelandflowregimes,bothartisanalandcommercialoveranentiredryseason


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period,attheveryminimum.TheSEAestimatesthatalmost6,000persons12liveinthe100

kmsstretchdownstreamofthedam,andwouldbevulnerabletotheeffectsofpeaking

flowsreleasedfromturbines.Theseextendedimpactzonesurveyscanthenbedocumented

asbaselinedataagainstanyimpactsthatmaylaterbeclaimedbyimpactedhouseholdsand

commercialoperations.Especiallyimportant,becauseofthepovertyaspect,arethe

activitiesoflocalpeoplewhopanforgoldinriveralluviumandmightbeveryhardhitinany

curtailmentofthislivelihoodactivity.Buttherearealsolargersand,gravelandrock

extractionbusinesses,whichemploylocalpeoplethatmighthavetoceaseorrestrictfuture

activityfollowingdamconstructionthatshouldbesurveyedandrecorded.

Aesthetic/Tourism/Archaeology

Veryscant,data-deficientinformationprovided,fromwhichitisimpossibletogetagoodsenseofthescaleandextentofimpacts.Therearedefiniterisksthatamoreregulatedriver,

withdegradednaturalhabitats,lessbiodiversityandculturaldiversitywillhavelesseco-

tourismpotentialthanatpresent.

Thereappearstobeaclearneedforafull,impartialandtransparentsurveyofhistorical,religious,culturalandarchaeologicalsitesalongthisstretchofriverbetweenPakLayand

aboveLuangPrabangtobecarriedout,toascertainthepotentialimpactsoftheXayaburi

Damprojectontheseaspectsandhowtheymightimpactlocalsociety,cultureand

livelihoods.Theexistinginformationisinadequate.Ofparticularconcernwouldbetheloss

ofcommonandtraditionallands(suchastheinundationofLuangPrabangsNewYears

FestivalbeachbytheMekong)withspiritual,culturalandeconomicimportancetomany.

LivelihoodRestorationProgramme

Themaincomponentstressedbytheprogramisaso-calledFoodSourceReservedDevelopmentProgram(Section6.1.3),whichitalsoreferstoasafoodbank

project.Conservingremainingforestsandstockingnativefishintheriverare

suggested.Whilstthismightseemlikeapotentiallygoodideaforadoptionina

conventionalruraldevelopmentproject,itraisesseriousquestionsaboutwhether

suchanideawouldbefeasibleforpeoplewhohavelostamajorpartoftheirmain

meansofsustenanceandlivelihoodi.e.fishandaquaticproductsfromtheMekongandtoalesserextent,NTFPsandagriculturalproductionland.Italsoseemsto

inherentlyassumethatlocalpeoplethemselvesaretheunderlyingculpritsof

resourcedegradation,ratherthanconsideringtheroleofoutsideagentstoo.The

experienceatotherregionaldamsisthattheimpactsdonotfallequallyonall

households,andsomeareclearlymorevulnerablethanotherstofoodsecurityand

incomelosses,soanylivelihoodrestorationcomponentthathasatimelagbefore

becomingoperational(e.g.likewaitingfortreestomature)orwithoutacleartarget

focusonthemostheavilyimpactedhouseholdsislikelytofallshortofaddressing

12Seep.75,Fig27ofSEAdocument.


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21

realorfeltneeds.Farmorethoughtanddetailwouldneedtogointothisproposal,

beforeitcouldbeconsideredaviablemitigationstrategy.

TheotherideassuggestedbytheprogramareratherstandardfordamprojectsinLaos,butcurrentlylackdetailanddonotgofarenoughinaddressingthecomplex

andmultipleneedsofvillagersthathavebeendispossessedofbothprivateand

commonpropertyandsufferingthetraumaofrelocation,whichincludesaddressing

theirpsychologicalneeds,aswellaslivelihoodneeds.TheSIAalsodoesnotmention

whethertheprojectintendstoabidebytheprincipleofimpactedindividualsand

householdsbeingmadenoworseofffromtheprojectorbetterstill,becoming

beneficiariesthroughsharinginitsprofits,overandabovetheirrightstofullandfair

compensationforlossessuffered.

Thereisalsothenaggingquestionaboutthehundreds(possiblymore?)ofvillagesheavilyimpactedbythedampost-construction,butnotcurrentlyconsideredbythe

SIAorEIA.Whatprovisionswillbemadeforthem,andistheregoingtobea

contingencyfundsetuptocovertheseunforeseenaffectedpeopleandthecostsassociatedwithcompensatingthemforlostlivelihoodsormitigatingtheimpacts?

TheSIAisnotclearhowlongtheprojectdeveloperintendstosupportalivelihoods

restorationprogramme,beyondthelifeofthe6yearresettlementprogramme

duringprojectconstruction(seeTable3.2-1).Experienceatotherlargedams

suggeststhismayrequireacommitmentbythedeveloperlastingseveraldecadesor

longer,giventhelastingandoftenunforeseenimpactsonlivelihoodssuchprojects

precipitate.

Generalcross-sectoraldeficiencies

TheEIA/SIAsurveystookaclearlytop-downapproachtothemethodologyofascertainingsocio-economicimpacts,relyingtooheavilyoninterviewswithstateofficialsandtoalesser

extent,villageheadpersons,butwithverylittlefocusontheopinionsandconcernsof

ordinarypeoplewhowillbeimpactedbythedam.Adifferent,moreparticipatoryapproach

wouldhaveallowedthemtobetterdocumentnaturalresource-basedlivelihoods,geta

rangeofopinionsandallowforabalancedviewofthelocalsocietyandparticularly,thelives

ofthosemostvulnerabletoimpactsbythedamproject.

Methodsusedincludedratherout-dated,ill-designedanddiscreditedtoolsforparticipatoryresearchwithdiverseethnicgroupsandassessingmulti-componentlivelihoods,withheavyuseofquestionnairesurveys,non-participatorysamplingtechniquesandattemptsat

inappropriatequantitativetools.ThiswouldsuggestthattheTEAMstaffwerenotwell-

qualifiedtoconductsuchresearchandlackedappropriateexperienceforsuchanimportant

andfar-reachingtrans-boundaryimpactproject.

Thesurveysdonotspecificallytargetorconsiderthelivelihoodactivitiesofthepoorestandmostvulnerablesectionsofsociety,eventhoughitiswidelyrecognisedthattheburdenand

impactsofthemainstreamdamswouldfallmostheavilyonthepoorest.Forexample,the

SEAestimatesthatnearly40%ofhouseholdslivingintheXayaburiDamareaexperience

foodinsecurityforoversixmonthsayear,buttheimpactsoftheprojectonthisgroupare

notspecificallyconsideredandwhattheiroptionsmightbeintheeventofamassivedecline

inavailableproteinfromwildcaughtriverinefish.


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Bothdocumentsareratherpoorlywrittenintermsofstyle,grammarandprose.Manysentencesarenonsensical(e.g.Productionaspectismoredevelopment,farmerusemore

smallplowingmachine,about500unitshavebeenusedoraverage10household/unit

SIA,p.4-4).ThisispartlyanissueofEnglishlanguageabilityofauthors,butbeyondthis

factor,thereappearstobeagenerallackoftechnicalunderstandingconcerningmanyofthe

issuestheyarewritingabout.Inaddition,thereappearstobemuchverbatimrepetitionof

informationfromofficialLaoprovincialordistrictgovtdocuments,withoutanyground-

truthingverificationorcriticalanalysisthatmightgivethedocumentsomebalanceor

credibility.Inmanyplacesfiguresandunitsgivenareclearlynonsenseorcontradictoryto

earlierdata,whichsuggeststhattherehasbeenlittleornoeditorialoversightofthe

documentbeforerelease.

Conclusions

ThefirstmajorconclusionisthattheEIAcoversfartoolimitedgeographicalscopetoadequately

documentimpactsthatarewidelyexpectedtobefeltformanyhundredsofkilometresupstream

anddownstream.Thedamhaspotentiallyserioustransboundaryimpactsandimplications

extendingdownstreamtoThailand,CambodiaandVietnam,whicharenotconsideredintheEIAand

SIA.Attheveryleast,itshouldjustifywhyithaslimiteditsscopetosuchanarrowbelteithersideof

theriverandnotalsoincludedcommunitiesnotimmediatelynexttotheriver,butwhorelyonitfor

fishingandothernaturalresources,thatwouldbenegativelyimpacted,bothdirectlyandindirectly.

Therearealsomanypotentialimpacteesalongthelineofthepowertransmissionlineandaccess

roadsnotadequatelyrecognisedtodate.Arecentreportestimatesthatabout202,000peoplewillbedirectlyimpactedbythedamproject(InternationalRivers,2011),comparedtothe4,040

householdspresentlyrecognisedasbeingPAPsintheSIA.Thesecondmajorconclusionisthatthe

EIAvastlyunderestimatesthescaleandmagnitudeoftheimpacts,inallsectors,butespeciallythe

fisheriesandaquaticresourcescomponent,whichisofsuchfundamentalimportancetothefood

securityandlivelihoodsofovertwomillionpeoplelivingalongthemainstreamMekong(ICEM,

2010).Thetemporalaspectsoftheprojectaredownplayed,andthereisareluctancetorecognise

thelikelihoodofwidespreadandon-goingsocio-ecologicalimpactsoccurringduringthe

constructionphaseandwellintotheoperationalperiodtoo.Throughout,bothdocumentslack

rigorousdetailofpresentlivelihoods,thenatureofprojectimpactsandfutureoptionsforlivelihood

compensationandmitigation.(RefertoAnnex1toseeasummaryofimpactspredictedintheEIAconclusions).

Bothprojectdocumentsdisplayapoorunderstandingofthefar-reachingenvironmentalandsocial

impactsoftheXayaburiHydropowerProjectonlivelihoodsofimpactedpeople.Thefieldstudies

werecarriedoutoveraverylimitedtimeframeandempiricalobservationsprovidedintheEIAand

SIAareverysuperficialsurroundinglivelihoodimpacts.TheEIAandSIAfailtoacknowledgethe

opinionsofinternationalexpertsonlikelyimpactsfromthedam,inreportssuchastheSEA,orlearn

salientlessonsfromdamsbuiltinThailand,suchasthewell-documentedcaseofPakMunDamin

NortheastThailand(e.g.Amornsakchaietal,2000).Itfallswellshortofguidelinesrecommendedby

theWorldCommissiononDams(2000)forsocialandenvironmentalsafeguardsofdamimpacts,


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particularlyintheareasofpublicparticipation,freeandinformedpriorconsentofallstakeholders

andrecognisingentitlementsandsharingbenefits.

Astheypresentlystand,theEIAandSIAreportsarerathershort-sighted,oftenfactuallyincorrect

andtechnicallyinadequatedocumentsthatfallshortintheirsupposedtaskofinvestigating,

predictingandanalysinglikelyspatialandtemporalprojectimpactsonlivelihoodsofaffected

persons,andthusareinnopositiontorecommendsuitablemitigationandcompensationmeasures.

Theentireprocessappearstohavebeenconductedasameretick-boxexercise,ratherthanwith

anyseriousintenttoascertainactualsocialandenvironmentalimpacts.Atthesametime,the

consultantsresponsibleforwritingtheEIAseemremarkablyill-qualifiedtoconductanEIAfora

majormainstreamdamprojectonsuchanimportanttransboundaryriversystem.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Amornsakchai,S.,P.Annez,S.Vongvissemsomjai,S.Choowaew,ThailandDevelopmentResearchInstitute

(TDRI),P.Kunwat,J.Nippanon,R.Schouten,P.Sripatrprasite,C.Vaddhanaphuti,C.Vidthayanon,W.

Wirojnagud,E.Watana (2000)PakMunDam,MekongRiverBasin,Thailand.AWCDCaseStudypreparedas

inputtotheWorldCommissiononDams,CapeTown,SouthAfrica.

Daconto,G.2001.SiphandoneWetlands.CESVI,Bergamo,Italy.

ICEM.2010.ImpactsAssessments(OpportunitiesandRisks).DiscussionDraft.MRCSEAfor

HydropowerontheMekongMainstream.14May2010.MekongRiverCommission,Vientiane,Lao

PDR.249pp.

ICEM.2010.MRCStrategicEnvironmentalAssessment(SEA)ofhydropowerontheMekong

mainstream.Hanoi,VietNam.

InternationalRivers.2008.PowerSurge:TheImpactsofRapidDamDevelopmentinLaos.

September2008.InternationalRivers.Berkeley,California.

InternationalRivers.2011.TheXayaburiDam:AloomingthreattotheMekongRiver.January2011.

InternationalRivers.Berkeley,California.

MekongRiverCommissionSecretariat .2011.PriorConsultationProjectReviewReport.Proposed

XayaburiDamProjectMekongRiver.ProceduresforNotification,PriorConsultationand

Agreement(PNPCA).MRCS,Vientiane.LaoPDR.

MRC.2010.StateoftheBasinReport2010 .MekongRiverCommission,Vientiane,LaoPDR

RobertsT.R.1993.Justanotherdammedriver?NegativeimpactsofPakMunDamonfishesoftheMekong

Basin.NatHist.Bull.SiamSoc.41:105-133

RobertsT.R.2001.Ontheriverofnoreturns:ThailandsPakMunDamanditsfishladder.Nat.Hist.Bull.Siam

Soc.49:189-230

Scudder,T.(2005).TheFutureofLargeDams:dealingwithsocial,environmental,institutionalandpolitical

costs.London,Earthscan


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WorldCommissiononDams.2000.DamsandDevelopment:ANewFrameworkforDecisionMaking.The

ReportoftheWorldCommissiononDams.Earthscan,London.

ANNEX1

Summaryofoverallimpactsandperceivedlevelofthreattotheresourcesandlivelihoodsofpeople,

expressedintablegiveninConclusions(Section8.1)oftheEIAdocument(copiedverbatim).

ASPECT MAINIMPACT RESIDUAL*IMPACT

LEVEL

LOCATION PERIOD

Hydrology/Water

ResourceManagement

Obstructionofwaterway Minor MekongRiver Construction&

Operation

SurfaceWaterQuality -Increasingofturbidity

-ChangingofBOD

-Oilcontamination

Moderate MekongRiver Construction&

Operation

AquaticEcology/Fishery Reducedpopulationof

phytoplankton&benthic

organism

Moderate MekongRiver Construction

Forestry Lossofforestareaand

forestecology

Minor XayaburiBarrage Construction

Wildlife Disturbanceofwildlife

living

Minor XayaburiBarrage Construction

LandUse/Agriculture Changingoflanduseand

agriculturalpattern

Minor XayaburiBarrage Construction&

Operation

PublicHealth Increaseofdiseaseand

accidents

Minor XayburiBarrage Construction&

Operation

Note*=ResidualImpactLevelarebasedonproperimplementationofmitigationmeasuresand

EnvironmentalManagementPlan

Comments concerning the Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Impact Assessment documents provided for the Xayaburi Hydroelectric Power Project, Lao PDR.

Documents