News and Updates

from PanNature and the media

Vietnam Farmers Bristle at Laos’s Planned Mekong River Dam

Residents of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have raised objections to the Don Sahong hydropower dam that Laos plans to build on the Mekong River's main stream. The objections came in late November after the Hanoi-based Green Innovation and Development Center, the Center for Biodiversity and Development at Vietnam Rivers Network, and local authorities finished a nearly two-week survey in communes in Can Tho and the five provinces of Ca Mau, Soc Trang, An Giang, Kien Giang, Vinh Long.

Workshop Talks Environmental Right Protection

A workshop was held in Hanoi on November 27 to seek to perfect a legal system to protect the environment as well as legitimate rights and interests of the community. Co-organised by the the People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) and the Justice Initiative Facilitation Fund (JIFF), the event brought together more than 100 delegates from State management agencies, the central justice agency, research institutions and non-governmental organisations.

Conservation challenges from development projects

Minimising the adverse impacts of development projects on the environment and natural resources is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed urgently, experts said at a workshop in Hanoi on November 14. Prioritising development projects, especially the construction of industrial parks and hydropower plants, without paying attention to biodiversity conservation and environmental protection has negative consequences for the environment and society.

Dams vs. Airplanes

In August 2014, a 5.5 MW hydropower dam broke for the second time in Gia Lai Province. Luckily no one was killed. This isn’t the first time that dams have leaked or broken in Vietnam but what was striking was the fact that according to the article the construction company ignored basic safety consideration by building the dam in the wet season. As a result, the cement didn’t dry properly and couldn’t withstand the water pressure. After the dam failed for the first time in June 2013, the provincial government ordered the company to suspend construction. The company refused.

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