‘Our Mekong is dying’: Locals reel from fish crisis as dams sprout up from Laos to China
- Once teeming with fish, the river is now filled with forlorn fisherfolk who say they’re lucky to have catch at all, as more hydropower dams are built up and down the river
- Activists say dam operators and the Mekong River Commission must be accountable for the ecological impact, while experts are urging fisheries to turn to solar and wind power
The sight of Thai fishermen forlornly casting their nets, with scant hope of a decent catch from a great river once teeming with fish, reflects the sad decline of the mighty Mekong, now reeling from over-exploitation and the feverish proliferation of hydropower dams.
Laos has two dams on the Mekong River, with seven more scheduled to be constructed. Upstream, in China, 11 dams are currently in operation.
“Our Mekong is dying,” laments environmental expert Dr Chainarong Settachua from Maha Sarakham University in Thailand’s northeastern Isaan region.
The scholar has for years researched the plight of the fishing communities in Nong Khai province and other surrounding Thai provinces. “Our fish losses could be more than 70 per cent (of their previous catch), if we include fish from Mekong tributaries,” he said.
Prayoon Sean-ae, a fisherman in Chiang Khan province, says the situation could get worse, as the Lao government pushes to build the Sanakham dam project, only 2km from the border with Thailand.
The leader of a local fishing group, Prayoon said he feared having a dam “so close, it is under my nose”.
It was a very different story of fish abundance prior to 2010, when there were no dams on the lower Mekong and fewer dams upstream in China.