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historical and cultural heritage sites in Kachin, and also cause irreversible ecological changefor the Kachin people living in the basin. The Kachin State capital is located 50 kilometersdownstream of the dam. Thus the dam has become a security risk for the local residents.Further downstream on the vast plain and delta region of Myanmar, there are ethnic enclaves,where a series of dams will control the most important rivers in Myanmar, leading to changesto agriculture, transport, fishing and breeding patterns that have been in place for centuries.The Myitsone reservoir will flood an area larger than Singapore in one of the world’s mostdisputed biodiversity hotspots. An estimated 47 villages will be inundated in a regionrecognized as one of the world’s eight “hottest hotspots of biodiversity.” Approximately10,000 people will have to be displaced, which will exacerbate the existing environmental andsocial problems in this area. As a result, since the beginning of construction, Kachinorganizations, environmental protection experts, social activists and people in the basinopposed and strongly criticized the dam.1.2.1.1. Environmental ImpactsThe United Nations Environment Program’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre lists theAyeyarwady as one of the world’s top thirty high priority river basins due to both its supportof high biodiversity and high vulnerability to future pressures. The construction of theMyitsone dam will pose a great threat to the ecological integrity and flow regime of the riverbasin. The areas along on both sides of the rivers will be inundated and some of the vitalhabitats of diverse wildlife species will be lost forever.The Myitsone Dam will block migration route of fish preventing them reaching upstreamspawning grounds resulting in substantial losses to downstream fishery production. Thedisturbance to fish migration patterns also result in a loss of prey to critical species such as thecritically endangered Ayeyarwady Dolphin. 19 This will also result in a decline of fisheries andaquatic plants dependent on these nutrients rich ecosystems. In addition, water quality will bereduced resulting in a decline of fish species and knock on impacts to the abundance anddiversity of bird populations within the basin.Furthermore, the Myitsone Dam site is located less than 100 km from Myanmar’s earthquakeproneSagaing fault line, which runs north-south through Myanmar. Earthquakes have beenexperienced at places along the fault line. Dam breakage would be disastrous for Myitkyina,the capital city of Kachin State, which lies only 40 km downstream. 20 Conversely, large damscan trigger earthquakes, which is known as reservoir-induced seismicity, and is related to theextra water pressure created in micro-cracks under a reservoir.1.2.1.2. Social-economic impactsThe big dam will also result in adverse impacts to the Ayeyarwady flow regime with graveimplications to the health of floodplains and delta ecosystems and the ecosystem services theyprovide to local livelihoods. Total population in the Ayeyarwady basin is 36.1 million, and19http://www.burmariversnetwork.org/chinese/images/stories/publications/chinese/healthyrivers.pdf20Environmental impact assessment (special investigation) on hydropower development of AyeyawadyRiver Basin above Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar. BANCA. 2009.96