Description:
"THE CHAIN-REACTION IMPACTS FROM THE DAMS:
With the passing of time, the cumulative and irreversible chain-reaction
impacts coming from the occluding rivers as well as the 26 mainstream
dams (14 dams in the Mekong Cascades in Yunnan and 12 in the Lower
Mekong) on the more than 4,800 kilometer-long Mekong include:
1/ Changes in the natural state of the river prevent its current from
maintaining its seasonal ?flood pulse” which is of vital importance to the
Tonle Sap Lake, the heart that regulates the eco-system of the Mekong River
and the Mekong Delta.
2/ Changes in the current?s flow will result in a reduction in the wetland
areas and destruction of the vital habitat required by the fish species of the
Mekong that in turn will adversely affect the fish source and food security.
3/ The altered current threatens the diversity of the fish population including
flagship species that serve as a gauge of the wellbeing of the Mekong?s
ecosystem like the Irrawaddy Dolphins and Pla Beuks that are facing the risk
of extinction.
2
4/ The forests along with the wetlands of the Lower Mekong are classified as
key biodiversity zones therefore protected by the Ramsar Convention. The
dams will cause the wetlands to be submerged and impact the fauna and
flora of the entire basin.
5/ Agricultural production will be adversely affected on account of the
submerged lands. In addition, alluvia retained in the dam reservoirs
upstream will deprive the fields along the riverbanks especially those in
Cambodia?s Tonle Sap Basin and Vietnam?s Mekong Delta of their essential
nutrients like phosphate and nitrogen.
6/ Reduction in the quantity of alluvia leads to imbalances in the current
flow and cave-ins of riverbanks. Meanwhile the Cape Cà Mau is being
continuously eroded and its seacoasts receding inland. The reservoirs bring
about a weaker current flow and climate change results in a rise in the
seawater level: the end result is an ever worsening and encroaching
salinization in the basin. No rice species or orchards can survive in fields
covered by sea salt.
Source/publisher:
Nguoi Viet
Date of Publication:
2014-09-20
Date of entry:
2016-10-18
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English
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Format:
pdf
Size:
276.88 KB