Cambodian NGO Forum asks Sekong River dam developers to consider environmental effects

PHNOM PENH, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The NGO Forum in Cambodia has asked the developers of a series of large dams planned for the Sekong River Basin in southern Laos to pay close attention to their potential environmental impact as fears grow for the tens of thousands of Cambodians living alongside the river's lower stretches, local media reported Wednesday.

"We are really concerned about the potential negative effects on Cambodian people living downstream of the proposed dams," NGO Forum deputy executive director Ngy San was quoted as saying in the Mekong Times newspaper.

The dams could help power the region but it is critical that these environmental concerns are not overlooked, he added.

"We do not want to oppose the government or companies which are developing the dams," he said. "But we need to think about impacts on water quality and aquatic biodiversity ... We need the (Cambodian) government to hold talks with Laos on the matter."

According to a recent report from the Cambodian Mekong River Alliance, Laos has already constructed two hydropower dams on the river, with the Houay Ho dam capable of producing 150 megawatts, and the Xekamen dam to be complete in 2010 250 megawatts, the newspaper said.

The existing dams are believed to have seriously damaged the river's ecological wellbeing both in southern Laos and northeastern Cambodia, affecting the livelihoods of an estimated 30,000 villagers living alongside it, the vast majority of whom are from ethnic minorities, it said.

Editor: Jiang Yuxia