Concerns were raised at a forum on Wednesday over the likelihood that the Sanakham hydropower project, a run-of-river dam, would have a bad impact on Thai communities downstream.
The 12 turbines of the proposed dam will cause volatility in the Mekong River’s downstream areas, in which water levels may go up by 1.2 metres and down by 1.5m in one day, or 2.7m in total changes in a single day, said a representative of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS), citing results of mathematical modelling.
Such water level volatility would also harm the natural process of sediment accumulation in the river, affecting 27,490 people in 41 riverside villages in Loei and Nong Khai provinces and important tourist attractions, he said.
At least two tourist attractions, the Kaeng Khut Khu rapids in Chiangkhan district of Loei and the Phan Khot Saen Khrai rapids in Sangkhom district of Nong Khai could be affected by volatility in water levels, he said.
The dam project is proposed to be built on the Mekong between Xayaburi and Vientiane provinces of Laos, about 2km upstream of the Thai-Lao border in Loei. It is expected to generate 687 megawatts of electricity when completed in 2028. The developer is Datang (Lao) Sanakham Hydropower Co Ltd, a Chinese-Lao joint venture.
The impact of the dam project on the Mekong’s ecosystem will also result in other problems, including migration as a result of income losses and debts and crime associated with poverty, said Assoc Prof Piratorn Punyaratabandhu, a public administration scholar with the Faculty of Social Sciences at Naresuan University.
The forum, the third of four planned, was organised in Ubon Ratchathani by the Thai National Mekong Committee (TNMC). The same day, 150 activists gathered at the hotel where the forum was organised, complaining they were barred from holding a parallel forum there.
Surasri Kidtimonton, secretary-general of the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), admitted the hotel had cancelled a meeting room booking by the activists amid concerns the forum would be marred by the other forum. The ONWR serves as the secretariat of the committee.
Opinions from parties other than ones directly involved in the forums could still be submitted to the TNMC online, said Mr Surasri. While the only known aim of the Sanakham project is to produce more energy to supply to Thailand, Thailand actually has energy reserves 15% higher than the standard level, said Thunyaporn Surapukdee, an activist.
