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The Nam Theun 2 Hydroelectric Project, currently under construction on the Nakai Plateau, in Khammouane province, is the largest and most controversial hydroelectric project in Lao PDR. The US $1.3 billion dam, with a generation capacity of 1,070 megawatts (MW) is a trans-basin diversion project, in which a 48 metre-high dam would be built on the Nam Theun River, a tributary of the Mekong River, and reservoir water would be released from the project’s power station into another Mekong tributary, the Xe Bang Fai River.
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The “Upper Mekong Navigation Improvement Project” or “rapids blasting project”, as dubbed by local groups, is one of the most controversial projects in the Mekong River. It involves the blasting of various rapids and rocks and dredging of channels to facilitate all year round navigation of large commercial vessels along the Mekong River stretching from Yunnan in southwest China to Luang Prabang in northern Laos. China is the principal actor promoting, funding and carrying out the project, which was given the green light after Burma, Thailand and Laos signed an agreement endorsing the project in 2000 <<more>> |
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Salween is the only major river that remains free-flowing in Southeast Asia. It originates in the Tibetan highlands, flows through China’s Yunnan province into Shan and Kayah states in Burma, before entering Thailand at Mae Sariang district, Mae Hong Son province. Forming the border between Thailand and Burma, the Salween River runs for 127 kilometres before re-entering Burma at Sob Moei and emptying into the Andaman Sea at Mawlamyine. With a total length of 2,820 kilometres, the Salween is the world’s 26th longest river and its river basin covers a total area of 324,000 square kilometres. <<more>> |
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