Nam Theun 2 Trip Report and Project Update - BankTrack

International Rivers NetworkWater supply concernsSome resettled villages alsoreported problems with watersupply. In Sop Phene, theyare waiting for a well sincethe water tank pump oftenbreaks and it does not provideenough water for bathing.Villagers in Done said only 8of 20 boreholes were working,leaving them with insufficientdrinking water. Villagers from Sop Hia and Boua Maalso complained about not having enough water.NTPC responded that nearly 1,000 boreholes need tobe drilled across the NT2 project and some delays haveoccurred. But, NTPC says, the water supply situationcontinues to improve: “It is expected that while theborehole coverage is still relatively low, and especiallywhen water needs to be delivered from outside, thathouseholds are inconvenienced from time to time.However… water has always been provided and hasbeen good quality clean drinking water.” The failure toensure adequate water supply for resettlers prior torelocation is a violation of the Concession Agreement.Promises broken over Vietic resettlementThe Vietic villagers on the Nakai Plateau, the mostvulnerable group of indigenous peoples to be resettled,are especially stuck. Sop Hia and Nam Nian villagers(including Vietics and other ethnic groups) were originallygoing to move, by their choice, to KhemkheutDistrict, until the river there was found to be polluted.Now villagers have been or reportedly will be movedwith other villages to Resettlement Area 7 and 8A.The Panel of Experts’ February 2007 report notes:After elaborate consultations, the majority of Vietichouseholds in Ban Sop Hia have emphasized first, thatthey want to be resettled within their current spiritterritory, second, that they want their own Vietic village,third that temporary or permanent resettlementin either Area 8 or Area 7 on the Nakai Plateau isThe Panel of Experts notes that“lower priority continues to be givento livelihood development to theextent that it is unlikely that theHousehold Income Target will bereached by the beginning of year 5 ofthe Resettlement Period, as requiredby the Concession Agreement.”unacceptable to them, andfourth, that temporary resettlementabove their current housesin Sop Hia to avoid dam-relatedflooding during 2007 isacceptable (PoE, 11th Report, p.19).During our visit, Vietic villagersin old Sop Hiaexplained that first a foreignertold them they could choosewhere to move, but then aLao man came and said they would be moving toResettlement Area 7. The villagers were extremelyangry and said, “The new place is very dry and wedon’t want to go at all. They are taking us there to killus.” The villagers explained that here they grow vegetablesand rice, catch frogs and fish and bathe in theriver. In the new site (where some of their relatives arealready living), the soil is poorer and they will have tolearn how to do new things like operate a water pump.Their relatives can’t find enough food at the new siteand have to rely on rice provided by the company.The Vietic villagers in old Sop Hia with whom IRNspoke said they wanted to move to Ban Kamphon 20next to a tributary of the Nam Theun. At first NTPCreported that all of old Sop Hia will be moved toResettlement Area 7, but now notes that “18 householdsat the old Sop Hia have not yet decided on arelocation site.” According to the ConcessionAgreement, the Vietics should have the option offorming their own village. To comply with World Bankand ADB indigenous peoples’ policies, and theConcession Agreement, resettlement must have thebroad support of the community and all villagers mustagree on the site.Livelihood programs in transitionRedoing agricultural plansLike the resettled villagers, NTPC’s livelihood plansare also in transition. The Panel of Experts notes that“lower priority continues to be given to livelihooddevelopment to the extent that it is unlikely that the25