Losing Ground - Human Rights Party.

Losing Ground
gradual strengthening of its relationship with China. A large
dam is being built in Kampot by Chinese company Sinohydro
Corp. partially with Chinese aid to Cambodia. International
Rivers, which has studied that project extensively, says the
Kamchay hydropower project’s reservoir will flood 2,000
hectares of Bokor National Park.
Another project known as Stung Atay is also under
construction in the Cardamon Mountains in Pursat and is
expected to flood a substantial area of protected forest.
Memorandums of understanding have been signed for three
other dams in Koh Kong.
The Ministry of Industry Mines and Energy (MIME), which
sets government policy for hydropower, also has preliminary
plans to build a hydropower dam on the Mekong in Sambor
in Kratie province within 10 years. A memorandum of
understanding has been signed with a Chinese company.
Ith Praing, Secretary of State for MIME, has said such
a dam would be a “historic achievement as the first big
dam in Cambodia.” The government also has an apparent
memorandum of understanding with Electricity of Vietnam
to develop feasibility plans for two dams on the Sesan.
The Ministry of Environment is responsible for ensuring
that environmental impact assessments for the projects are
carried out. But in part due to a lack of proper sub-decrees
regarding public participation, it is difficult for the ministry
to carry out proper assessments.
Who benefits?
The Cambodian government is betting that a rapid boost of hydropower will fuel economic growth and expand electricity to rural areas.
It also sees an opportunity to sell large quantities of electricity to neighboring countries. As a result, massive hydropower dams are being
rapidly promoted: five are at various stages of construction and 13 more are in the planning and review stage.
To attract investment, the government has been offering guaranteed power revenues risk-free to Chinese companies willing to finance,
build, and then sell output to the state utility, Electricite du Cambodge. However, the livelihood of people living near and downstream
of the dams is under threat, and they have yet to be guaranteed compensation for losses. Moreover, they may not even have access to the
electricity these dams will produce. These already marginalized communities could be driven further into poverty.
Who are the beneficiaries of these dams? Will the economic benefits of these projects outweigh the damage done to communities who
depend on healthy rivers for their livelihood and food security? It remains unclear who will actually benefit from these projects and where
the revenues from the dams will flow.
The government has stated that it is committed to reducing poverty through economic development, so the rush into hydropower
should be openly debated. Less environmentally destructive ways to meet the energy needs of the country, such as decentralized and
renewable energy technologies, are abundant yet they are rarely discussed in public. Cambodia has the opportunity to display leadership
and openness to innovation by adopting a more sophisticated, clean and appropriately-scaled power sector, which many experts agree
would also ensure the benefits of development are shared. The alternative could be irreparable environmental and social damage that could
eventually undermine the government’s efforts to attract investment.
Source: NGO Forum
Increased bluegreen
algae and
other forms of damrelated
pollution
are resulting in
increasing skin
diseases among those
who bathe in the
Sesan River, while
buffalo and other
livestock are dying
after drinking from
the river.
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