Although touted as a clean source of renewable energy, hydropower is actually increasing the damage from climate change, say experts who have studied hydropower dam projects on the Mekong River.
The projects have left Mekong communities more and more vulnerable to threats from extreme weather, the experts emphasize.
The dams have disrupted the flow of the river, severely damaging the complex ecosystems and rich biodiversity on which millions of people living in the Mekong basin depend for their livelihoods.
This has jeopardized their capacity to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate, say experts and residents.
Mekong citizens cling to remaining resources
The last monsoon rains have given way to a chill north wind, heralding the start of the dry season in the Mekong Region. This is the time when villages along the river on the border between Chiang Rai and Bokeo province in Laos begin harvesting “gai”, or Mekong River algae.
Considered a local delicacy and an important source of nutrition, gai can only be harvested during the five-month period from December to April, when the water is low and clear enough for the freshwater algae to grow.
As gai begins to bloom in early December, local women from both sides of the Mekong gather on sandy islets in the middle of the river to collect the first harvest of the season.
“I am very eager to come here to harvest early-season gai as it fetches good prices of up to 200 baht per kilo while it is still rare in the market around this time,” said Manee Yongyuen, a 59-year-old resident of Chiang Rai’s Chiang Khong district.
“Harvesting gai is traditionally women’s work, while men take care of the fishing. I have been harvesting gai in the Mekong River since I was very young. Gai and fish from the river have been a crucial part of the lives and livelihoods of local people since ancient times.”
The majority of local people are farmers, who are suffering increasing risk of crop damage and loss of income due to volatile climate conditions.
Manee explained that the bountiful resources from the river are vital in supporting local communities’ resilience to this climate change, as they can rely on additional food sources and income from Mekong fish and gai.
However, she revealed that gai is now the only natural resource that local people can reliably harvest from the river, as the adverse impacts of dams have led to a steep decline in fish and other food sources.
Even the gai harvest is threatened by disrupted river flows, she said.
“I am very concerned about the future of the Mekong River and our community. Since hydropower dam projects were constructed upstream in China and then in Laos, I have seen significant changes to the river flow and environment, with water levels fluctuating out-of-season and affecting gai harvesting,” Manee said.
The dams’ operations cause the river’s water level to rise and fall rapidly in the dry season, she added.
This not only reduces the growth of gai but also increases the risk of drowning for the people who harvest the algae from rocks in the sandy riverbed where it grows.
“I am worried for the young generation. If in future we can no longer depend on the river to sustain our livelihoods, they will have to leave home to find jobs in the city. It is a hard life being a laborer far away from home,” she said.
Harmful development disguised as clean energy
Niwat Roykaew, founder of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group, said hydropower development has been promoted as a source of clean energy that will help Mekong countries cut their dependence on fossil fuels and enhance energy stability.
However, it comes with a steep cost to the environment and the livelihoods of people who depend on the Mekong, he added.
“People living along the Mekong are now facing serious threats to their lives and livelihoods, as a river that used to provide them with essential resources is now being killed by hydropower dams.”
Niwat said hydropower dams are causing such severe changes to the Mekong River that they will eventually destroy its status as the lifeblood of ecosystems and livelihoods across Southeast Asia.
“The first major problem is the fluctuating water level. The dams don’t just cause water levels to rise during the dry season, affecting the gai harvest.
They also cause water levels to drop during the rainy season, affecting the breeding patterns of aquatic animals in the river that usually migrate to the surrounding wetlands to spawn in the floodwater,” he said.
“Without this seasonal flood pulse, the Mekong River is dying, and a lot of fish species are quickly disappearing.”
He emphasized that the ecological damage caused by the dams is directly affecting the daily life of local people, who are highly dependent on the resources provided by the river ecosystem. These people are now suffering from food and income insecurity while losing their ability to adapt to climate change.
Thai authorities are exacerbating the problem, he said.
“The impacts of hydropower dams can be vividly seen, but the Thai government is still going ahead with agreements to purchase energy from three hydropower dam projects – Pak Lay, Luang Prabang, and Pak Beng,” he said.
“Hydropower is branded as cheap and clean energy, but its cheapness comes at a high cost to the Mekong River and environment and this cost is being paid by local people who are losing their livelihoods forever.”
By Thai PBS World’s General Desk
