Horror As Laos’s “Battery Of Asia” Ambition Backfires In Catastrophic Dam Collapse
With the unquenchable thirst to be an economic power house above environmental concerns, Laos like most developing countries takes its chances doing a Russian roulette with its ecological gifts from Mother Nature, and this time, it is forced to count the horrendous costs incurred from this particular gamble On Monday night, disaster struck when a dam collapsed in Attapeu province in the far south of Laos inundating 6 villages, leaving hundreds missing with over 6,600 people homeless and many more feared dead
As a landlocked country located along the rich East Asia’s Mekong River, this unique river also supports 4 other countries in the lower Mekong - Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. As one of Asia’s poorest countries, Laos is exploiting its natural waterways intensely for income, building dams to produce electricity for export. BUT WHAT ARE THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS? Unnaturally obstructing the flow of a river can be disastrous for lands downstream and the eco-systems dependent on the river In 2014, countries in the lower Mekong - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam - produced about 15% of all the world's rice, according to The Economist magazine. The region is also home to thousands of plant and animal species which could be directly affected by any dams on the river. A report by the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission said hydropower projects in the river basin caused drops in rice production, fish numbers and soil fertility downstream, and were predicted to "reduce food security and potentially increase poverty levels". HYDROELECTRIC AMBITIONS IN LAOS The government in Laos has launched an ambitious dam-building scheme to become the "battery of Asia" The country had 46 operational hydroelectric power plants in 2017, and 54 more under construction By 2020, Laos also plans to build 54 more electricity transmission lines and 16 substations Laos already exports two-thirds of its hydro-power, with electricity making up roughly 30% of all Laotian exports SOURCE: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44935495 IMAGE CREDIT: Xinhua/VNA Read the full article